Mask Of Indifference
by Isabella N Edward
Summary: One night in Vegas changes Bella's life forever. What happens when she finds that the man she met that night, Edward Cullen, is not only her new boss but the father of her son? How will Edward react when he realizes that Bella has been keeping this secret from him?
1. Chapter 1

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 1**

"Alice, leave me alone!" It was 6 a.m., and all I needed was a few more hours curled up in my nice warm bed. Why I ever gave her an emergency key to my apartment, I will never know. Not that she has ever used it for an emergency. No, instead she just waltzes in here at 6 o'clock in the morning to drag my sorry ass out of bed, in order to try and make me look beautiful.

"Come on, Bella!" she cried, in her annoying "Do as I say, or else you're going to suffer" voice. Do you realize how long it's going to take me to make you look good? Jeez, you don't even look human right now."

I could have happily rammed my tightly curled up fist down her delicate little throat... However, being the mature grown up that I am, I let out an exasperated sigh, threw the covers off of my overly tired body and lifted my legs towards the edge of the bed. I sat there for a good 5 minutes, in my sleep induced haze, trying to figure out what day it even was.

"Go and shower NOW!" I swear this girl has serious anger management issues. I climbed down from my warm and welcoming bed and headed into the bathroom, where I started my morning routine.

As the hot water ran down my body, I gradually started to come alive. Washing and conditioning my hair and using my favourite scented body wash on my tired muscles. I shaved all my lady bits and within a short amount of time, I was actually starting to feel human again. I had just finished moisturizing my skin and was about to start brushing my teeth, when I heard her.

"Bella, where are the black heels that go with the black pencil skirt that I brought you?"

"Um, I think they should be somewhere in the closet, Alice," I heard her throwing things around. Only a few weeks ago, Alice had brought me a beautiful pair of Brian Atwood pumps, with black velvet platform soles, and a metal stiletto heel, fit to poke anyone's eye out. I'm not usually one to sing the praises of a pair of shoes, but these are something special. So special, in fact, that I would go as far as to say that I would marry the designer, even if she had been a woman!

To be fair to Alice, I really have no idea how I would manage without her. She had been a godsend to me over the last 18 months, and you could not want for a better friend. I just wish that she wasn't so damn annoying at times. She works as a designer for a major fashion house, right here in Seattle. She has amazing vision and knows everything that there is to know about the latest trends. She always brings me new clothes and shoes from not just hers, but from other designer's collections. To be truthful, her providing me with a whole new closetful of clothes 4 times a year, as well as unique items she had designed herself in between the seasons was beneficial to both of us. I get free clothes and Alice gets her guinea pig.

Alice had been single for over a year now. I knew that she was lonely at times, but her bubbly personality ensured that she was constantly surrounded by people. I knew that she'd had a crush for quite some time on a man that she met whilst on a night out with some friends. I personally had never seen or met the guy, but thanks to Alice, I sure did know everything about him. His name was Jasper. He was 27, with dirty blonde hair, worked for one of his father's companies, _apparently, his family owned several businesses_. He played guitar in a band, and according to Alice, he probably wouldn't notice if she fell off the face of the earth. Maybe one day, he'll open his eyes and see what he's missing.

After an hour and a half of being poked, prodded, and tortured with curling irons, make-up brushes, and a squirt in the face with a poorly aimed perfume bottle, Alice finally declared me ready.

"How on earth do you do it?" I whispered, barely recognising myself in the mirror.

"You know that it's all in a day's work for me," she said flippantly. "Besides, I only work with what's already there. You really are beautiful, and you should give yourself more credit sometimes."

I turned from the mirror and gave her a huge hug, "You're wonderful, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't get teary," she warned. "You do realize that the mascara you're wearing is not waterproof? Don't you dare ruin my hard work!" she gave me a playful wink, and ushered me out of the bedroom.

I have to say that Alice had done a fantastic job. She had provided me with the perfect outfit. A black silk shirt that was undone to the start of my quite adequate cleavage, with the hint of a red slip underneath. A high-waist, knee-length, black pencil skirt that clung to my curves in all the right places, and to finish it off, a thick red belt to compliment my red slip... and let's not forget the shoes, four inches of black stiletto's. How on earth I was going to be able to walk in those bad boys is anyone's guess. Still, I have to say that the overall look was quite impressive. I looked professional and classy, which, strictly speaking was quite an achievement for me. I was wearing my hair down, with my naturally loose curls tweaked to perfection, and my make up was light and natural. Yes, Alice had done an amazing job. To transform plain, old, dowdy-feeling me into someone who not only looked good, but felt it too.

By now it was 7 a.m., and I had not been this nervous in a long time. This was the first job interview that I'd had since before my vacation in Vegas eighteen months ago. I really needed this job. I have been living on the inheritance that my grandmother left me in her will, but that was dwindling rapidly, and there would probably only be enough left to live on for the next couple of months or so.

"You look amazing," Alice said, with a proud smile on her face. "Now get yourself out there and show them what you are capable of, Bella. Remember, if any of them are snooty, or try to intimidate you, just picture them in their underwear, it always works for me."

I laughed lightly, before being interrupted by a loud cry, followed by several whimpers.

"Hey there, baby," I cooed softly, as I walked into the bedroom. "Mommy's here. Is my little man hungry?" I said as I picked up my son, Joshua, or Josh as I often call him, he's nine months old now and my entire world revolves around him.

His whimpers lessened as I softly soothed him and ran my fingers through his auburn hair. His chubby little fingers grabbed hold of my shirt as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. He really was a beautiful baby. I know that every mother thinks the same thing, but I had been asked numerous times by several of Alice's clients if I would consider having him photographed for part of their baby range promotions. I had refused, believing that if he wants to do that when he's older, then he can do so by his own choice. But for now, he was just my nine month old little man who was hungry. He lifted his head and looked at me with his big beautiful bright green eyes and gave me a toothy grin... Yeah, its official, my little boy was going to be a heartbreaker!

"I'll feed him, Bella, you'd best be going," Alice said as she removed Josh from my grip.

I kissed his head gently and gave his back a rub as I said my goodbye's to them both. It pained me to be away from him for even two minutes, but Josh deserved the best. I needed to do whatever I had to do, to provide for my son. Securing this job would mean that not only could I provide a roof over our heads, but it would also mean that I could give Josh the things that he needs and deserves.

**A/N This is my first ever attempt at writing and i could not have done it without the help of my wonderful ladies, TwiMoments and Jamieloveschad, Who kicked my ass and made sure i never gave up, (Love you loads.) Thanks also to xxxLOTxxx1 and Totally_Dazzled for the wonderful banners that they have made.**


	2. Chapter 2

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

Chapter 2

Jumping into my awaiting cab I gave the driver the address. To say that I was nervous is a bit of an understatement, my stomach was practically doing somersaults. It didn't help at all that I had skipped breakfast. I checked my watch and decided that the breakfast situation needed to be remedied. There was enough time to grab a coffee and just a bite to eat before my interview.

The driver pulled over outside a deli just a short walk from Cullen International, the company where my interview would take place. I had applied for the position of PA to the manager of the marketing department. A Mr. Mike Newton and I really hoped that I was what he was looking for because I needed this job badly.

Eighteen months ago I could have done it with my eyes closed, however, I haven't worked in all that time. It's difficult to find an employer willing to take a chance on a single parent of a nine-month-old, but I've kept up with the latest techniques and computer programs, etc., due to online courses. All I needed to do now was convince Mr. Newton that I knew what I was doing, and that I could do the task well... no mean feat!

I still had 20 minutes to spare, so I ordered my coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. I choose to sit by the window whilst I picked at my food and watch the world go by. Thinking back to 18 months ago, I wondered just what the hell happened to land me in the situation that I now find myself in.

Not that I'm complaining. I couldn't imagine my life without Josh. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me. Although it really worries me as to what I'll have to tell him in years to come.

I can just see that discussion ... "Yeah. Sorry, Josh. Mom and her friends got absolutely tanked whilst in Vegas, we met up with a random group of guys and err... well, I have absolutely no idea who your father is." Yeah, I can see THAT conversation going down really well.

I just live in the hope that he never hates me for it. That would truly break my heart. It's not as though I could even help him try and find his father. I genuinely cannot even remember what he looks like, let alone his name, where he was from, or any other details. Sadly, my little boy was destined to grow up without a father, all because of my stupid, idiotic behaviour.

Rose, Angela, and I had decided to treat ourselves to a fun week in Vegas, and had saved for ages. We planned to hit the shows and casinos hard. We had an amazing time. At some point, maybe a day or so before we were due to fly home, we had decided to have a full-on Girls Night, full of shots, cocktails, and as much dancing as we could possibly do before passing out.

All three of us have sat down on numerous occasions trying to dissect every detail of that night for clues, but all we could come up with were the same old bits and pieces.

We started out in a bar just off of the main strip. They offered fishbowls of cocktails for a ridiculously cheap price, and what self respecting group of girls could turn that offer down? Not us, that's for sure. By the time we got around to drinking our second fishbowl, the room was spinning nicely, and everyone was giggling like teenagers at a Bieber concert. We made our way from one bar to another. By the time that we made it back to Caesar's Palace where we were staying, we decided that the night wasn't complete without hitting the slots AGAIN!

We all lined up, hitting the machines hard when we heard loud voices from the next line. Male voices! "Yes! I did it, I knew I was gonna win big!" was heard, along with several whoops and the sounds of hands slapping, as they did high fives. Both Angela and I crooked our necks to see what all the commotion was, but from where we were standing we couldn't see a thing. We looked over at Rose, who was looking around the slot machines, and had one huge, smug grin on her face... "Ladies, we have major eye candy at eleven o'clock."

After that, none of us could remember very much. In fact it was a miracle that any of us could remember that much, considering the amount of alcohol that we had all consumed... After putting what pieces of the puzzle that we could remember back together, we had deduced that we had gotten together with said group of men. We know that there were also three of them. Of course, it would have been rude not to help them celebrate their win, so that's exactly what we did.

Rose remembers us all dancing on a table, so it looks as though we might have all hit a club at some point. I can remember getting all touchy, feely with one of them for a large part of the evening, but for the life of me, I cannot remember what he looked like. I do, however, remember giggling in the elevator as he laid gentle kisses along my neck and collarbone as we made our way up to what I presume was his room. I remember him whispering sweet nothings in my ear as he helped me out of my dress, and I remember the way he made me feel as he made sweet gentle love to me.

A few hours later, I drunkenly made my way back to our room, so that the girls wouldn't be worried about me. I awoke the next morning to a banging headache, very little memory, and unbeknown to me at the time, a conceived child!

I sat and finished my coffee and bagel, looked at my watch, and realized that it was time to set off. I thanked the lady behind the counter and made my way out of the door.

I reached Cullen International in plenty of time and approached the reception desk. "Good Morning, my name is Isabella Swan, and I'm here for an interview with Mr. Newton."

The receptionist who, according to her name tag, was called Tanya, made an over-exaggerated point of looking down at her appointment book for my name. She smiled at me with the biggest fake smile ever seen by man. "Yes, Miss Swan, Mr. Newton's office is situated on the 15th floor," she pointed towards the elevator. "Please make your way up and someone will take care of you."

"Thank you, Tanya," I replied and gave her a sickening sweet smile in return.

I made my way over to the elevator, pressed the button and waited for it to arrive. My stomach was churning, and my palms were slightly moist due to nerves. I ran through my mind all the answers to the questions that I was likely to be asked. If I wasn't ready now, I never would be... Come on, Swan, time to put on those big girl panties and knock em dead, I mentally told myself. This was it. Both Josh's future and my own was riding on the outcome of this interview, and I would be dammed if I wasn't about to give it my all.

As the elevator doors opened, I took a deep breath and entered, only to be followed in by a middle- aged woman who was dressed immaculately. Alice would have been proud, I'm sure that the dress the lady was wearing was one from Alice's latest collection. She smiled at me warmly, "Are you new here? I don't recall seeing you before." There was something about her that drew me in and made me feel at ease. "I must say, I really love your outfit, you look lovely."

"Thank you," I blushed, "I'm actually here for a job interview. I'm a little bit nervous, well, actually, I'm very nervous," I choked out.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't be nervous. Who are you having an interview with?"

"Mr. Newton in marketing," I replied. A knowing smile came across her lips.

"Um, Mike," she nodded her head. "Let me give you a few pointers. Firstly, the guy is up his own arse. Never take any crap from him, or else he will continue to dish it out." She continued, "Secondly, he thinks that he is god's gift to the human race. Just smile sweetly and let him believe that," she gave me a wink. "And thirdly, If he pitches any idea that you come up with, never, ever let him take the credit, because I would not put it past him to do so. Other than that, he's a really nice guy," she laughed.

"Yeah, he sure sounds like it," I nervously twisted the fabric of my skirt between my fingers.

"You'll be fine," she patted my arm reassuringly. "If you do get the job, be sure to come and find me and I'll give you all the pointers you need. My name's Esme. If you ever need me, just ask someone to point you in the right direction. I'm always hovering around here somewhere," she chuckled.

"Th...Thank you. My names Isabella, but everyone just knows me as Bella," I stumbled through my words.

"Well, Bella, it was lovely meeting you, but it looks like this is my floor. Good luck on the interview," she called as the elevator doors opened and she made her way out.

"Thank you, Esme, I appreciate that," I called after her.

I stood there in the elevator watching the floor numbers go by, 12, 13, 14, and before I knew it, I was on the 15th floor, and the doors slid open.

"Hello, my name's Isabella Swan and I'm here to see Mr. Newton," I spoke to the woman behind the desk.

"Oh, yes, hello, Miss Swan. Would you care to take a seat, and I'll inform Mr. Newton that you're here." I looked around and took a seat; the office was light and airy. It had several cubicles from which I could make out the sound of keyboards being tapped, and voices on the telephone. It has a warm and friendly feel about it, which makes me feel slightly less nervous. "Miss Swan, Mr. Newton will see you now," the receptionist said with a genuine warm and friendly smile on her face. She motioned toward a door in the far corner of the room. I stood, smoothed out my skirt and said a silent prayer as I made my way over towards the man who, without knowing it, held both mine and my son's future in his hands.

I took several deep breaths as I made my way over to the door. '_Come on, Bella, you can do this_' I mentally told myself. Before I reached it, the door swung open wide, and I was instantly greeted by a man who I can only presume to be Mr. Newton. He was around average height, with deep blue eyes and light sandy brown hair that was slicked over from a side parting, with so much oil in it that Greenpeace could start a campaign... Even though he looked kind of creepy, he did have what seemed to be a genuine smile upon his face.

"Miss Swan, it's lovely to meet you, please come in and take a seat, and we can get right down to business," he stated.

"Thank you, Mr. Newton, it's kind of you to see me at such short notice." I took a seat in front of his desk and had a quick glance around. His office was quite lifeless. There was nothing in here that stood out. The walls were a light beige colour with a few random pin boards hanging close to his desk. In the right hand corner beside the large window, stood two filing cabinets and a beige coloured sofa was situated alongside the left hand wall. All in all, the office was soul-less. In fact, the only bit of colour that was in there came from the cactus that seemed to have a place of pride on the top of his desk. Jeez, even the guy's suit was beige.

"Now, as you know, Miss Swan, here at Cullen International we move at a very fast pace," Mr. Newton continued. "We expect our employees to be team players. We have several floors within this building, and each floor is dedicated to a specific department." I sat still with my hands placed together on my knees nodding my head in understanding, all whilst continuing to make eye contact. "For instance, this floor is dedicated to our marketing department. The floor below is used by the sales team, and the floor above is used by the arts and visual department." I smiled in acknowledgment and nodded for him to continue. "We expect all members of staff to be flexible, both within working hours and position. For example, if a member of staff is absent on another floor, and they are approaching a deadline, we would expect you to show willingness and be prepared to go down and help, regardless of whether or not you know anything about the department you are required to help out in."

"Yes, Mr. Newton, I fully understand," I agreed.

"I take it that you are also fully aware of what the position of my PA involves?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "I read all the information that was sent to me."

"Good and I take it that you are also aware of the basic hours that we expect you to work, as well as any additional hours that we may need you."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Well, in that case, Miss Swan, why don't you tell me about your previous experience and a little bit about yourself?"

I took a deep breath, this was it, I had to give my best performance to date...

"Well, Sir," I started. "After leaving college, I was lucky enough to be employed by Ludlam and Associates in the position of secretary to the head of sales," I paused and he nodded his head urging me to continue. "From there, I was promoted to the PA of the CEO." I looked up to gauge his reaction, but he wasn't giving anything away. "I held that position for 2 years before the company hit financial difficulty and folded." Again, Mr. Newton just sat looking at me before urging me to continue. "After that, I was employed as PA to Mr. Yorke at Williams & Son, a position that I held until 18 months ago."

Mr. Newton, sat, once again nodding, but this time he brought up his hand and placed his pinkie finger in the corner of his lips as if deep in thought. He actually reminded me of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, and it took all of my willpower not to let out a small chuckle.

"Hmm, that's quite impressive, Miss Swan. Now I would like you to tell me a little about yourself and also why you have not been in employment for the last 18 months."

I knew this was going to come up. '_Well, suck it up, Swan, because there's no getting around it!_'

I started, "I have a passion for reading, particularly the classics, and also I have a passion for music of all genres, ranging from classical to almost anything from the modern day. But my main hobby is cookery, I like to experiment and cook a wide variety of foods." '_This is where it's about to get interesting_' I thought.

"As for the last eighteen months, unfortunately, I found myself in a position where I had to give up paid employment." I looked him in the eye to gauge his reaction. There wasn't one... So I continued, "eighteen months ago, I found myself in the position of being pregnant. I was sick almost from the start. It wasn't your average bout of morning sickness, it was twenty four hours a day, and it was so bad that at times I would pass out. I didn't feel it fair to my employers to continue in employment when I couldn't commit to my job one hundred per cent," I rambled. There, it was out.

"So, you now feel that you are capable of offering Cullen International your time?" Mr. Newton asked.

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Could I ask you, Miss Swan, what childcare provisions that you have in place?"

"Well," I started, "I have a wonderful back up of family and friends, who have all offered to help look after my son. Also, after my first month's pay check, I am hoping to find a babysitter, so childcare should not really be a problem."

"So, I take it that the father is no longer around," he said, whilst raising an eyebrow and looking me up and down... What a sleazebag.

"No," I said, with conviction. "He is no longer in our lives." I hoped and prayed that he didn't push the issue any further, because I really did not want the whole of 'Vegasgate' coming to light in front of a potential employer.

"Ok, Miss Swan, I think that just about covers everything. I would like to thank you for taking the time to come in, and we will be in touch." With that, he stood up from behind his desk and raised his hand for me to shake before showing me the door.

It could have gone worse, but it also could have gone a whole lot better. As I made my way out of the building, I could only hope that the guy was willing to throw me a lifeline.


	3. Chapter 3

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 3**

Six days later and still I hadn't heard a thing from Cullen international. I was going to have to start applying for other things. What was I thinking of anyway, trying to get back into the fast paced, long hours of a PA position? I had a nine month old child who needs his mommy for Pete's sake. No, as soon as I get back to the apartment, I'm going to look through the newspaper, go online, and find a job that actually fits around Josh's needs. But then again, if I take a waitressing job or some kind of store work, it sure as hell won't pay enough for me to afford childcare fees, let alone the rent and other expenses. I knew that I couldn't keep relying on family and friends to babysit no matter how much they wanted to help out.

Alice could work her hours to suit, but it wouldn't be fair to expect her to constantly work her days around me. Angela works as a nurse in the ER department at Seattle's Children's Hospital, so her work life revolves on a rotation system, and Rose is a mechanic, she had opened up her own garage around four years ago and does a roaring trade. She intimidates the hell out of men, but women love her. They feel safe taking their car to a woman who talks to them on the same level and doesn't try to rip them off, or jump their bones!

Rose has said many times that she's able to help with Josh occasionally, and for that I'm grateful; but he needs some stability and structure in his little life, and it's up to me to provide that for him.

I look down at him happily sitting in his stroller gurgling away and stuffing his sockless left foot in his mouth at the same time. Damn, I remember a time when I was once that flexible, these days all the flexing I get is when I bend down to pick up Josh's toys from the floor... I need a man, one who can remind me of what being truly supple means, as he bends me over and slips his... I jump as the sound of my phone ringing brings me out of what could have been a very embarrassing daydream.

"Hello," I say after answering.

"Hi, Bella, I hope you're not too busy to speak to your old man, "my father says rather loudly into my ear.

"No, Dad, of course not. You know that I always have time for you."

My dad, or Charlie, as he's otherwise known, still lives in my hometown of Forks, about a three and a half hour drive from my apartment here in Seattle. He's the Chief of Police there, and he's well respected within the community. He's a fiercely proud man and is set in his ways. His whole life revolves around Josh and myself, work, Vitamin R, and eating at Forks coffee shop; he swears they make the best burgers on the whole of the US west coast.

I can't say that it was the proudest day of his life when I told him that I was pregnant and about to become a single mother. But Charlie being Charlie put his arms around me and said, "Don't worry, kiddo, it will be fine." He didn't even ask about the father, for which I was grateful. I would have hated to see the disappointment in his eyes when I told him that I didn't have a clue who it was. Charlie had raised me on his own since my mum walked out on us just after my eighth birthday. He promised to give me all the single parent pointers that he could...

"I was thinking about a visit this weekend, Bells, how does that sound?" he asked.

"That would be great, dad, we both really miss you," I said bending to tickle Josh's tummy.

"How about Saturday? I could be there around 11:00 and we could take that little grandson of mine out for day."

"Sure, Dad, that sounds great," I say, whilst smiling. "Josh would love that, we both would!"

"Great stuff, I'll see you both Saturday around eleven then. Gotta dash, Bells, I'm at the station and work won't do itself. Love you and give Josh a big kiss from his grandpa."

"Ok, dad," I replied. "We love you too and see you Saturday."

I ended the call and bent down in front of Josh so that we were face to face. "Hey, guess what, little man?" I say to him. "Grandpa's coming to see you! How much fun will that be?" He looked at me and chuckled, right before he stuck his now soaking wet foot straight in my face!

The rest of the morning flew by. We had a stroll in the park and fed the ducks, and Josh's face was a picture to treasure as he watched them swarm around his stroller looking for leftover scraps. His eyes were wide in wonderment and his toothy grin made him look adorable as he held out his arms and opened and closed his hands rapidly towards the ducks as if to ask them to come to him. I quickly whipped out my phone and snapped a photo.

After that we had a stroll over to Pike Place Market to pick up some groceries. We chose a wonderful selection of fresh fruits and vegetables along with some fresh seafood and beef steak. Then we spent some time watching and listening to a few street performers. Josh loved the man who was playing the guitar and singing, and he happily kicked his chubby legs and waved his arms in time to the music... My boy sure does have some rhythm!

We made it back to the apartment just before lunch. My little man was starting to get grizzly so I set to work on preparing his food. I quickly boiled up the pasta and steamed the vegetables before adding them to the tomato sauce that I had made the night before. I then blitzed it all into small smooth chunks.

I had gotten myself into a routine of cooking up mountains of food, and I would then transfer baby-sized portions into several containers to place them in the freezer. That way, there was always a Josh friendly meal at the touch of a defrost button.

I helped him eat his pasta, most of which ended up all over his face, down his clothes, and on the floor. Once he was full, I cleaned him up, changed his diaper, and put him down for a nap. I was surprised that he hadn't fallen asleep whilst we were out, but I guess he was just too busy enjoying the scenery.

I returned to the kitchen and started to clean up the mess that we had made. I washed the dishes, wiped the work surfaces, and mopped the floor. Once all that was out of the way, I poured myself a well earned coffee, picked up the newspaper, and headed for the living room where I fell onto the sofa with a huge sigh. I turned the paper to the job section and scanned it for anything that sounded like a possibility.

I sipped my coffee and circled several jobs that all sounded quite promising. There were 3 secretarial jobs along with 4 waitressing positions, and 2 advertisements for cleaners in private homes. To be fair, the cleaning jobs were really well paid, but without the extra tips that would be available with waitressing, would it really be the better option of the two?

The only thing that I could do would be to apply for all of them and see what happened. I finished off my coffee and placed the cup down on the coffee table, continuing to scan the newspaper for any vacancies that I may have missed.

He kissed me with so much passion that I wanted to hold him to me forever, his tongue danced around with mine as they both fought for dominance. I could feel his hands run down my body to the back of my thighs as he lifted my legs to wrap them around his waist. My hands twisted in his hair with a fierce grip trying to bring him impossibly closer. "Now, please, I need you now!" I cried as I felt his hard length pressing hard against my stomach. He reached down between us and positioned himself at my dripping entrance. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" I cried.

He entered me slowly as we looked longingly into one another's eyes. Those beautiful lust-filled green eyes... Those eyes!

Suddenly, I was startled awake by the sound of telephone ringing, I must have fallen asleep after finishing my coffee. I jumped up not wanting the noise to wake up Josh. Snatching at the receiver I lifted it quickly to my ear before it had the chance to ring out again. "Hello," I said, slightly out of breath.

"Hello, would it be possible to speak with Isabella Swan?" The female voice said in a friendly tone.

"Yes, speaking."

"Oh, hello, Miss Swan. This is Shelly Cope from Cullen International. We briefly met when you came in for your interview last week."

At this point my heart was hammering so hard in my chest that I seriously thought that she would be able to hear it. Surely she wasn't about to offer me the job, was she? No, it would just be a courtesy call thanking me for my time, and to tell me that I hadn't been successful... Her voice brought me out of my inner ramblings.

"Well, after a lot of consideration, Mr. Newton has asked me to call you. He would be happy to offer you the position of PA if you are still interested."

My back hit the wall. I think that I might actually go into shock if I didn't sit down. I slowly slid myself down the wall until I was on the floor in a crouching position... '_Deep breaths, Bella, deep breaths_,' I inwardly chanted, whist all the time attempting to regain my composure.

"Yes, Mrs. Cope, I'm most definitely still interested," I managed to choke out.

"Oh, that's wonderful. If you could you start on Monday at 9am that would be perfect. Just report to the 15th floor when you arrive, and I'll show you the ropes."

"Yes, that would be fine, thank you so much for calling, Mrs. Cope."

"You're more than welcome. Goodbye," and with that she was gone. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye in return.

I sat there on the floor for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only around a minute before I was brought back to reality by Joshua crying out for me. I was still in a daze, thinking about the phone call and the dream. I stood myself up and replaced the receiver back on the telephone before making my way towards his room. . Ever since that night in Vegas. I had thought often about my mystery man and the way that he made me feel, and even though I dreamt regularly about our night of passion, his eyes are the only thing that I really remember about his appearance; but I will never forget the way that my body responded to his touch. Focus, Bella, I told myself because right now I needed to concentrate on Josh and my new job.

I was ecstatic. This job was going to provide me with the means to not only keep a roof over our heads, but to also have a little left over every month for a few little luxuries. Our apartment was nothing special. The front door opened up straight into the one main room; it consisted of a living area on the right hand side which was furnished by a sofa, coffee table, and an entertainment unit. The far wall housed a bookcase that held my ever growing collection of reading material. On the far right side wall there was a huge picture window that gave us a lovely view of Seattle on a clear day.

To the left of the front door was the kitchen area. It wasn't big, but it was more than adequate for our needs. The units were in a dark cherry wood and very modern considering that the apartment hadn't been refurbished for quite a number of years.

The kitchen also housed a dining table that I managed to pick up from a second hand dealer. I fell in love with it instantly, mainly due to the fact that it was the identical colour of the kitchen units. Directly off of the living area was a small corridor where there were two bedrooms, one for me and one that I had turned into a nursery. We just had the one bathroom but with Josh being so little, it wasn't a problem. All in all, our home was small, but at the same time it was warm, clean and above all, it was ours.

I pushed open the bedroom door only to find Josh in his crib with little tear stained cheeks. "Momoma" he cried. This was his way of saying momma. "What's wrong little man" I asked as I walked over to him, he instantly held out his arms for me to pick him up. I cuddled him close to me and kissed his head as I walked out into the living area, He loved his cuddles. It was not very often that he cried, but usually when he did, it was because he wanted a cuddle.

I gently laid him on his play mat and sat down beside him. Immediately, he rolled himself over, pulled his little chubby legs underneath himself and pushed up on his arms... He was off. I laughed at him as he raced across the floor. Crawling was his latest party trick. I ran after him and scooped him up whilst tickling his belly. He instantly responded in a fit of giggles.

It was just at that moment that I heard a key in the door; I let out an exasperated sigh. "Alice, don't you know how to knock?" I said playfully. Josh wiggled in my arms desperately trying to get down once he had seen his favourite aunt.

She laughed as she took him from me and planted a dozen kisses all over his face. "What would be the fun in that?" she replied. "One of these days I'll walk in to find you in a compromising position, and that my friend will be a story for the grandkids."

"Chance would be a fine thing, Alice, I think there's more chance of me dying a born-again virgin than there is of any man ever seeing the inside of this apartment," I said. "Besides, when do I ever have time for a man? I'm mum to a nine month old, I have very little social life, and now I have a full time job to contend with."

I watched her face as she let my words sink in. Suddenly, recognition struck her and she let out the biggest squeal I had ever heard, making Josh jump in her arms. He whimpered slightly at the shock of it, but Alice was quick to soothe him.

"You got the job!" she cried.

I nodded my head as a huge grin spread across my face. "Yes, I got the phone call about twenty minutes ago."

"O.M.G, you know what this means, Bella." My face fell with realization at her words, "We get to go shopping. You need a whole new closet full of clothes suitable for the office." I groaned as her words sank in. NO-ONE enjoyed shopping with Alice. She was like a tiger on speed, once she spotted something that she liked, she couldn't be held back.

"Um, Alice," I asked, "would you be able to watch Josh for me a few days next week whilst I start my new job?"

"Bella, you know that you don't even need to ask me, of course, I will. In fact, I'll have him all week. I can move my schedule around, and the times that cannot be rearranged, I'll just take him with me," she said, matter of factly. "After next week," she continued, "between Rose, Angela, and myself, we can sort something out for the rest of the month like we always planned." She smiled brightly.

I felt tears prick my eyes; I was so blessed to have such wonderful friends. "I don't know what I would do without you all." I almost sobbed as I threw my arms around her and all three of us had a group hug.

"Right," Alice said with determination. "You go and get yourself ready and I'll sort Josh out. it's time to go shopping."

The evil glint in her eye had me worried, very worried!


	4. Chapter 4

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 4**

The rest of the week passed in a blur, and before I knew it Saturday had arrived. I spent the morning running around after Josh... Quite literally, not only had he started to crawl, but he was now grabbing hold of furniture or anything else that his chubby little hands could get a grasp of and pulling himself up on to his feet. I had no doubt that it wouldn't be long before he tried to take his first steps.

Dad arrived as expected at 11 o'clock and we had an early lunch at the apartment before taking Josh out. The three of us spent a lovely day at Woodland Park Zoo.

Josh was in his element as we took him out of his stroller and he crawled around the giant spider web. His face was full of excitement as dad held him in his arms whilst they wandered through the petting zoo, stroking the sheep, goats and rabbits. I was more than happy to walk beside them with my trusty camera in hand ready to capture any moment.

By late afternoon we had arrived back at home, and I put Josh down for his afternoon nap. Sadly, I said goodbye to my father as he got ready to leave us. He had a three and a half hour drive ahead of him, and he wanted to leave early before it turned dark. As he left, he pulled me into a 'Charlie' hug and wished me well for my new job. He also made me promise that if I was ever short on childcare that I would give him a call. Just what he was proposing to do from almost a hundred and forty miles away was anyone's guess, but the thought and the meaning behind it didn't pass me by.

By 10pm on Sunday, I was a bag of nerves. Alice and Rose were over earlier in the day and had rearranged my closet. All of my work outfits for the week had now been placed into 5 groups and hung neatly on the rail, with the specified days shoes laid neatly on the floor underneath each outfit. Those girls really do operate with military precision.

Josh had been asleep for a few hours, so I went to check on him before taking my cup of hot chocolate and my favourite worn out copy of _Wuthering Heights_ to bed with me. Hopefully, Cathy and Heathcliff could make me forget about my nerves so that I could get a few hours sleep, and not look too much like an extra from the walking dead on my first day at work. I managed to somehow relax a little and eventually, my eyelids began to feel heavy.

"Wakey wakey!" Alice's high pitched voice called.

Surely it wasn't morning already? I'm really going to have to confiscate that key! No-one should be that cheerful at this time of the day. I rolled over, pushed my hair from my face and rubbed my eyes. "Alice, go away it's far too early," I moaned.

"Nonsense, Bella, now drag that cute little butt out of bed. You know I'm not afraid to pull out the big guns. Rose is making breakfast and if I have to call her in here to sort out your sorry ass, it won't be a pretty sight."

If I thought that Alice was a force to be reckoned with, she held nothing on Rose; that woman could be downright scary. "Rose is here?" I asked surprised.

"Of course, we both wanted to see our girl off on her first day at work, and she's taken the morning off work to spend some time with Josh. I have a meeting that I couldn't get out of," she called out as she headed into the bathroom.

I heard the shower start as I dragged myself out of bed. "Get your ass in here, Bella, we don't have long," she cried.

I really do have the best of friends.

Some considerable time later I left the bathroom feeling like I was a part of the human race again. I made my way into the kitchen to find that Rose had made enough food to feed an army. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, and cereal were all laid out on the table ready for us to tuck into. Josh was sitting in his high chair whilst Rose proceeded to play aeroplanes with his weetabix.

"Aww, Rose, you didn't need to go to all this trouble," I smiled at her.

"Nonsense, we're all starving, Bella. Plus, if you were actually any good at getting yourself ready in a morning, we wouldn't have been here so early," she smirked. "Besides, I only cooked the food... you actually paid for it all."

I gave Josh a kiss on his head just before another aeroplane of weetabix was about to descend into the hanger.

An hour later, after Alice had finished playing Bella Barbie with me, I looked in the mirror and felt really good about myself.

On our shopping expedition, which quite frankly, I don't even want to think about, Alice had picked me up a beautiful grey wool dress. It was mid-thigh length, with a tapered waist, sleeveless, and had black bands running around the armholes and waist. It even gave the false impression of a pocket on each hipbone. She has teamed this with a pair of black textured tights and the same pair of Brian Atwood heels that I wore for my interview. Alice figured that they were my good luck charm... I hope she feels the same way when she's taking me to the emergency room because I've broken my ankles in them!

Rose had done my make up whilst Alice bathed Josh; he needed it due to one of Rose's weetabix aeroplanes landing in his hair as his head made an unexpected left turn.

She had done a great job, she added a small amount of smokey grey eye shadow just into the corner of my lids, and outlined my eyes in a light line of charcoal grey eye liner. She topped it off with one coat of mascara and a little smudge of lip-gloss. Between them they had pinned my hair up into a loose pile at the top of my head. The overall effect looked amazing, and fit for any self-respecting PA's first day at work.

I felt really bad about leaving my little man. I was so used to spending my entire day with him that it was eating me apart inside. We had a big cuddle and several sloppy kisses before I left, and I promised him that we would have some mommy and Josh time when I got home. All three of them gave me a hug and waved me off at the door like it was my first day at school.

My stomach was once again doing back flips as I jumped into a cab giving the driver the address. I really needed to think about buying myself a car. It would make life a whole lot easier on us, as calling a cab every day was really not going to be beneficial on my pocket.

I arrived at Cullen International with plenty of time to spare, and, after checking in with the ever snarling Tanya, I made my way up to the 15th floor.

Mrs. Cope was the first one to greet me as I made my way out of the elevator. "Miss Swan," she said happily. "It's lovely to see you again, welcome aboard our happy ship," she said as she gave me a warm hug.

"Please, call me Bella" I insisted. "It's what my friends know me as."

"Well, Bella. It's great to have you here, and please, call me Shelly, we're all on first named terms in this department," she replied warmly. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll show you around."

I had a feeling that I was going to get along with Shelly, she has a motherly feel about her, a feeling that I hadn't had since I was eight when my own mother had left.

The first thing that Shelly did was to take me to Mr. Newton's office. He was sitting behind his desk when we first entered, but quickly stood up to shake my hand to welcome me to the company. It didn't pass my eye that once again the guy was wearing yet another beige suit. After I thanked him for offering me the position, we passed a few pleasantries before Shelly continued the tour.

She introduced me to Dave, Lynn, Helen, Sophie, and Gayle who were the marketing team, before moving on to James, whose main role was to run backwards and forwards doing odd jobs for the whole department. He was really friendly and had a wonderful sense of humour.

Our next stop was the copy room, and then, what basically they called the snack room. It was just a place to make drinks and warm food up in the microwave before eating at your desk. Shelly quickly poured a black coffee and placed one spoonful of sugar in before stirring, explaining that this was how Mr. Newton liked his coffee. "Ok, I got that," I said nodding. "Although I'm surprised that he doesn't take it with milk," I exclaimed. Shelly gave me a curious look as I bit my lip and mumbled something about how milk would turn the coffee to a beige colour.

She threw her head back and laughed, instantly catching on to what I was referring too. "Bella," she said, "You and I are going to get along just fine." She smiled as we walked back to take Mr. Newton his morning coffee.

After that, we rode down in the elevator to the 11th floor to take a look around the cafeteria. It was huge, but had a comfortable feel about it. I noticed that the prices were pretty good too.

We visited a few other departments, so that I could get a feel for the place. Then we went up to the 17th floor which housed all the offices for senior management, as well as several conference rooms.

Shelly pointed out three offices, one of which belonged to Carlisle Cullen who was the founder of Cullen International; the other office belonged to Edward Cullen, who was the CEO of the company, and his brother, Emmett, who was finance director for not just Cullen International, but for all of the Cullen family businesses. Apparently, Carlisle Cullen had set up and still owned several other companies that were in no way linked to Cullen International, including his wife's own interior design company. This was one driven and super rich family!

I didn't have a chance to meet any of the senior staff as Shelly pointed out, they were all currently in a conference meeting. I did, however, get a chance to meet their PA's Irena, Jessica, and Victoria. They all seemed really nice and told me that if I had any difficulties that I could always give them a call. They gave me their extension numbers and after having a brief chat, we said our goodbyes.

Once we returned back to marketing, Shelly showed me to my office. I smirked at her as the first thing that I realised about it was that it wasn't beige.

The room itself was of medium size, it had a large light reflective window that had a really good view of the space needle, and it was painted in a really warm plum colour and housed a row of beech wood filing cabinets along the entire right hand wall. My desk was also made from beech wood; the chairs, including my desk chair, were finished in luxury padded leather, dyed plum to match the walls. I was confused as to why my office was so luxurious compared to Mr. Newton's. Shelly explained that Mr. Newton preferred the view from his office and that my office had far too much colour going on... Yeah, that would explain a lot!

After becoming acquainted with my office and the computer system, I made my way across to Mr. Newton's office. I knocked on the door twice before I was asked to enter.

We discussed the week's appointments as well as calls that needed to be made and files that needed amending. It was all going well so far.

Mr. Newton even asked me to call him Mike, which took me aback a little, and in return I asked him to call me Bella.

I had originally figured that this was one guy who liked his own self importance... Maybe he wasn't so bad after all!

The morning passed quickly as I spent a large majority of it filling out papers for HR and insurance before getting the filing system into some kind of order.

By 1pm I was starving and chose to head out for lunch. I was contemplating just going down to the cafeteria, but the weather outside had turned warm, so instead I decided to get some fresh air. I grabbed a sandwich from the deli down the street and headed toward the park.

One hour later I headed back to work with my batteries recharged. I waved a cheery hello to Tanya, knowing full well that all I would receive in return would be a sneer and a muted "hello" in return.

As I entered the elevator, I felt someone brush against my arm as they entered beside me. I looked up and pressed the button for the 15th floor. As I turned back towards the doors, I was instantly caught up in the reflection, standing there on my left hand side was the most handsome man I had ever seen... No joke, the guy was gorgeous!

He was casually leaning on the back of the elevator wall with both hands in his pockets. His navy blue suit was no doubt very expensive and was obviously made to measure with the way that it sat perfectly on his delicious body. It was taking all of my effort not to turn around and openly stare at him. From what I could make out in the reflection on the doors, his jaw line was just lickable, God what I wouldn't give to run my tongue along the stubble on that jaw line. I licked my lips in want. I would have licked his lips as well if he would let me. Oh Jeez, how soft they looked, and his eyes... SHIT! His eyes, he was watching me...

He knew that I was shamelessly checking him out. I could feel myself going beet red in realization, and what made it worse was the fact that he obviously found it amusing. He stood there blatantly staring at me with a smirk on his face. Jerk!

The 15th floor couldn't come fast enough and as soon as the doors opened, I practically ran out. As the doors closed behind me, I was sure that I heard a throaty chuckle.

'_Way to go, Swan. A quick lesson in how to show yourself up whist checking out the opposite sex on your first day_' I mentally slapped myself on the forehead.

The rest of the day went well, I sat in on a presentation that Mike was giving to a potential client, took notes, smiled at the appropriate times and arranged a follow up meeting in 3 weeks time. Before I knew it, 6 o'clock had come around, and it was time for me to head home to my little man.

As I entered the door, I heard a squeal of delight and Josh came crawling over to me at lightning speed. I picked him up and smothered his face in lots of sloppy 'mommy kisses' "Hi, Alice, how has he been today?"

"Absolutely no trouble at all, in fact we've had lots of fun," she replied. "We had a walk and you will never guess who we bumped into? Only Jasper," she said, without giving me a chance to guess.

I raised an eyebrow. I could see the excitement on her face. "O.M.G Bella, he actually stopped and spoke to me. He totally thought that Josh was my kid, but I soon put him straight on that one," she gushed. "But the best bit is that he has actually asked me to design him a suit for some charity function that he has to attend. He's coming into the studio next week for me to measure him up."

"Oh, Alice, that's wonderful news I'm so happy for you," I said genuinely.

"I know, just the thought of where my hand will be with that measuring tape almost had me running home to get the rabbit out," she laughed.

"Alice," I gasped, "not in front of the baby!"

"Oh, please, it's not like he understands," she said whilst rolling her eyes at me. "Anyway, sit down and tell me how your day went."

I told her everything, including the elevator incident. She thought that part was hilarious." I guess that I'm not going to be the only one who's bunny will be hiding in the warren tonight," she said with a wink. I laughed at her. After all, she's probably right!


	5. Chapter 5

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 5**

My first few weeks at Cullen international flew by. My boss, Mike was still being nice, even though he was full of his own self importance at times.

James popped by my office several times, usually when he was trying to avoid Mike. The guy was hilarious and would tell me stories about the antics that he and his brothers got up to on a regular basis as kids. He claims that they sent their parents prematurely gray, and I have no doubt that was true.

If we had a working lunch, Gayle and Shelly would often eat in my office with me whilst discussing the latest ideas for our clients and Helen often stopped by to fill me in on the office gossip.

I had bumped into Esme a few times, and we always found the time to stop and have a chat. She was a wonderful lady, with a wicked sense of humour. She even popped by my office occasionally and we had enjoyed coffee together. I hadn't realised that she was Carlisle Cullen's wife until she told me.

Josh, who was now 10 months old, had settled into a routine with his new babysitter, Leah. It still pained me to leave him every morning, but it was a necessity rather than a choice.

Alice had finished Jasper's suit, but not until after several very unnecessary consultations about it - her words not mine! In fact, Alice and Jasper had grown to become rather good friends. She was convinced that it was only a matter of time before he asked her out on a date.

Angela had moved in with her boyfriend, Ben, so we didn't see as much of her as we liked, but we kept in touch by phone and text messages on a regular basis; and Rose, well, she had the men of Seattle cowering at her feet as usual. She would make an excellent Dom!

Life was looking good for us all.

We had just won three new contracts at the office, one of which was to market a new line of baby clothes. Mike had enlisted my help on the actual marketing side of things even though I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was a PA not a marketing assistant, but his theory was that since I was the only person in the office who had a baby, I should be able to give some product feedback and opinions on durability, fabrics etc., That way they would have a rough idea how to market the line. Basically, Josh was to become Cullen International's guinea pig, rather like the way that I was Alice's guinea pig. She will be so proud!

It was one morning whilst I was busy at my desk that Esme popped her head around the door. "Good morning, Bella, I've just heard about the new baby clothes line, can I have a look?"

"Of course, Esme, they're in the boxes over there," I pointed to the boxes in the corner.

She sat herself down and started to rummage through the mountain of clothes that was currently occupying my office. "Oh, my," she said as she lifted up an adorable little two-piece that consisted of a pair of slate gray shorts and a white t-shirt with matching slate gray horizontal stripes. "This is just so beautiful," she cooed. "I remember when my boys were this size, how old is your son Bella?"

"He's ten months now. He's about ready to take his first steps, and he's at the stage where he's into everything," I laughed.

Esme picked up the photo that was on my desk and turned it around to look at it. "Oh, Bella, there's no doubt that this must be him, he has your smile. He's such a handsome little guy. He reminds me so much of my Edward at that age," she said. "They have the same hair and eye colour, Edward was such a pretty baby. Not like Emmett, now that boy was like a bull in a china shop from the get go," she laughed at the memory. "He used to guzzle his milk like it was his last meal, and don't even get me started on when he started to crawl"

I smiled at her warmly as she reminisced. "Do you have any grandchildren?"

"No, dear," she sighed. "There's nothing I would like more,but I don't see that happening for a long time to come. Edward likes the ladies a little too much to settle down, and Emmett is just a big child in a grown man's body. I guess my only hope is Jasper."

My ears pricked up at the name, "Did you just say Jasper?"

"Yes, dear, oh, I forgot, you probably haven't come across Jasper. He doesn't work here with the others. He works as a project manager for one of my husband's other businesses. He's such a lovely boy, keeps to himself, but he's just missing the love of a good woman," she said sadly.

I nodded, '_maybe not for too much longer_' I inwardly thought.

"You know, Bella, you really should bring your son into the office one day."

"I don't think that would be a very good idea, Esme, I would no doubt get into a lot of trouble for that."

"Nonsense," she said firmly. "You bring that boy in for me to have a cuddle with. I can keep him occupied for a few hours, and if anyone has anything to say, tell them to come and see me."

Jeez, that woman was feisty. I nodded and told her that I would think about it, just to appease her more than anything. She accepted my answer with a smile and waved me goodbye as she left the office. I couldn't wait to tell Alice that Jasper was one of the Cullen's! She would flip her lid... Maybe I should buy her some new batteries on the way home. I had a cringing feeling that Roger will be working overtime tonight!

The next morning I had just finished getting Josh ready when Leah arrived. "Good morning," I greeted her cheerfully. "He's already had his breakfast and I've gotten him dressed. I've left his lunch in a container in the fridge, and don't forget to help yourself to anything that you need."

"Aww, thanks, Bella. I was thinking about taking him to the toddler group at the community centre today, would that be alright?" she asked.

"That would be wonderful, it'd be great for him to mix with other children. Give me a ring at work later and let me know how he takes to it," I told her. After I had my goodbye cuddle from my little man,I realised that if I didn't get a move on, I would be late for work. I quickly shot out of the door and into a cab. I still needed to get myself a car.

I smiled to myself as I thought about my phone call with Alice the previous night, she couldn't believe that Jasper was one of the Cullen's. She was still positive that sooner or later, he would ask her out on a date. I could almost see the smile on her face as we hung up from one another.

Once I was in my office, I removed my coat and went to pour a coffee. I drank mine on the spot and made another one for Mike.

I entered his office, passed him his drink,and sat down ready to discuss what needed to be done over the next few days.

He wanted me to discuss the clothing line in front of the whole board the very next day and to say that I was nervous was an understatement. He explained that I didn't need to make a speech or do a presentation. It was just an informal meeting with the powers that be to get a real life perspective on a product that they were to promote.

At least the informal part made me breathe a little easier.

Esme dropped by a short while later, and she popped her head around the door, waving a doughnut at me like it was a peace offering. I started laughing at her as she took a seat and passed me the sugary delight. It was delicious, damn the woman, she had found my weakness.

"I've come to apologise to you, Bella," I looked at her curiously. "I was telling Carlisle all about you and your son, and how you were both helping the company out with the clothing line," she continued. "I'm afraid that I was singing your praises a little too much and, well, basically, the whole business about you talking in front of the board, well, that was my idea," she said sheepishly.

"Your idea?" I asked, she nodded slowly.

"Well, the devious slime ball," Esme looked at me in shock.

"Mike led me to believe that it was his idea," I said.

We both chuckled as Esme was quick to remind me, "I did warn you about him,Bella."

We spent the next twenty minutes chatting about the meeting. We also discussed Josh and how much his speech was coming along, that he could now say momma rather than momoma much to my delight. He was also now walking along the furniture on wobbly legs. Esme was impressed, and assured me that his first steps would only be a matter of time. She said her farewell as she had a meeting with someone across town. Apparently, they had renovated a house just outside of the city and would like Esme to do the interior design.

After lunch, Leah called to tell me that Josh absolutely loved playgroup. He played with the other children, and he even shared the toys with them willingly. She said that she was going to take him again on a regular basis. I was so happy that he had had a good time, but I couldn't help feel slightly envious that it was someone else sharing one of my son's 'firsts' instead of his mommy.

That night after I had fed and bathed Josh, we sat down on the sofa for quiet time. This was part of our bedtime routine. He lay in my arms and wrapped his hand around my hair whilst I read him a story. I loved this part of the day, when it was just the two of us. Eventually he drifted off to sleep, but I continued to hold him in my arms just a little while longer. I loved to watch the way he moved his lips and suckled as he dreamed, the sounds of his deep breathing, and the way his eyes darted around underneath his eye lids. I always tried to memorize the special moments like this because before I know it, my little boy won't be little any more.

The front door slammed closed and Alice pushed her head into my room, "Sorry, Bella, I didn't mean to slam it. I hope I haven't woken Josh up," she whispered. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, I really was not a morning person. For once I could not complain about the ungodly hour at which she had arrived. No, this was all my doing.

I had called Alice last night after Josh had gone to bed and asked her for her help in getting ready this morning. Esme had become a friend to me over the last few weeks, and she also oozed a mothering instinct of which I was drawn to. I knew that with her being in the meeting with me, I had nothing to worry about because she was like a clucking mother hen with me at times. No, the reason that I was nervous was I was going to have to speak in front of not only Greg, the manager of the arts and visual department and Mike, but also in front of the board itself, Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward Cullen.

Little did I know that this meeting would be the start of a whole catalyst of events that would affect Josh and myself for the rest of our lives.


	6. Chapter 6

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 6**

For once I entered work feeing confident, despite the fact that I was about to have a meeting with the three most important people within the company.

Alice had done me proud once again. She had brought me a beautiful pair of gray jacquard skinny legged trousers; they clung to my curves in all the right places and made my legs look a million miles long, especially when teamed with the pumps that she had also brought. They were made of black sheer mesh, with an open toe and had a three and a half inch opaque heel. These shoes were the bee's knees, and according to Alice, if I did end up with broken ankles it would so be worth it.

The top that I wore was an ivory coloured jersey top by Lanvin. It had an asymmetric-V neckline, and was a mock wrap design with pleated detail to the shoulder and was gathered to the side. I wore my hair in a gentle twist to the back of my head, and loose strands pulled free to frame my face.

Even if I say so myself, I looked damn good, and Alice always says that if you look good, then you feel good. She wasn't wrong!

Once I arrived at my office, I quickly got on with inputting a few of the files that Mike had left for me onto the computer. I also had a few follow up calls to make to clients and two projects to mark as closed. At eleven o'clock, Mike came into my office and told me that the board was ready and would be waiting for us in one of the conference rooms upstairs.

As we made our way to the 17th floor, my nerves started to get the better of me. Mike must have picked up on this and he reassured me once again that It would all be informal and nothing to worry about.

We entered conference room 1 and I was greeted by a smile and a warm handshake. "Bella, it's lovely to see you again," said Greg, the manager from the arts and visual department.

"You too," I said timidly. I had previously met Greg on my first day whilst Shelly had shown me around. The next thing I knew was that one minute I was talking to Greg and the next I was enveloped in a tight bear hug that almost knocked me off of my feet.

"Hi, Bella, it's lovely to meet you," a booming voice said into my ear.

"Emmett, put her down!" I heard the familiar voice of Esme say.

"Sorry," he murmured, as he helped steady me. "I'm Emmett," he said with the biggest grin on his face.

"Hi, Emmett, It's lovely to meet you," I replied truthfully. He was huge; he must have been at least 6 ft. 4 and was built like a quarterback on steroids. Despite his size, he reminded me of a large teddy bear with the warmth that radiated from him.

Esme came over to me and gave me a reassuring hug. "Come on, Bella, I'd like you to meet my husband," with that she dragged me to the other side of the room, where I saw a rather attractive man with blonde hair, who sat sifting through some paperwork. "Carlisle," she called, "Come and meet Bella." He looked up and smiled, as he removed the glasses that were sat precariously on the end of his nose.

He stood up to greet me and I smiled as I held out my hand for him to shake. "Hello, Mr. Cullen. It's very nice to meet you."

"Please, we're all on first name terms here, Bella, call me Carlisle. Thanks to Esme, I already feel that I know you, "he said with a chuckle, as he completely ignored my hand and brought me in for a hug. This must be a family of huggers!

I heard the conference room door open and muttering apologies about being late. I withdrew myself from Carlisle's hug and smiled at him warmly. "Bella, come and meet my son, Edward," I heard Esme say as I turned I was greeted by the sight of him.

_FUCK, FUCK, FUCK_, I internally chanted, it was the lickable face from the elevator.

I automatically started to feel myself turning beet red as Esme proceeded to drag me over towards him. I could see him taking in my appearance as his eyes looked me up and down. The corner of his mouth rose into a slight smirk. Damn! He obviously recognized me.

We approached him in what felt like slow motion, he casually held out his hand for to me shake. I took it and felt a feeling of warmth travel throughout my body. "Hello, Edward, I'm Bella. It's lovely to meet you," I stammered.

"Likewise," he replied, as he turned to find a seat.

"Right, let's get this over with!" Carlisle stated.

We all took a seat around the table. Esme sat on my right hand side, whilst Emmett sat on my left, Greg sat to the left of Emmett whist Edward, Mike, Carlisle and Carlisle's PA Irena, who had joined us to take notes, all sat opposite us.

"So, Bella," said Carlisle, "both Mike and Esme tell me that your son has been helping us as a tester," he chuckled. "Why don't you tell us a little about him and how you found the products?"

I looked around me and Esme gave my knee a reassuring squeeze, so I started.

"Well, he's ten months old now, so I've been dressing him in the six to twelve months range. I find the fabrics really soft against his skin, he hasn't suffered from any rubbing or chaffing. In fact, he appears really comfortable." I look around me to see everyone scribbling notes except Carlisle, who has Irena doing it instead.

I continue, "Most of the clothes are diaper friendly too. The majority of the pants and shorts have poppers so that when it comes to a diaper change you can simply undo the poppers, clean the baby up and simply fasten the poppers back up again, all without having to remove the item of clothing." I see several heads nod in understanding as Mike passes around various items for everyone to examine. They all take their time and try out the ease of the poppers by opening and closing them several times, everyone except Edward, that is, who just simply looks at the clothing in boredom and passes it straight back to Mike.

Emmett goes back to making his notes, whilst Carlisle, Mike, and Greg all discuss a marketing idea which Mike has come up with that revolves around the poppers. Esme assures me that I'm doing a good job, and Edward simply sits there staring at me, which is really unnerving.

After several minutes, Carlisle asks me to continue.

"I have to say that I find the clothes really durable." I continued, "Josh, that's my son, he's at the stage where he's crawling everywhere, so the knees on the pants need to be really good quality, otherwise they will be covered in holes after the first couple of wears. I've found that they've lasted really well and as of yet, there is no sign of any areas that are threadbare." Again there is more scribbling as everyone takes notes. I'm pretty impressed with Emmett's dedication towards the whole thing as he has barely stopped taking notes all the way throughout the meeting. That is until I glance over his shoulder and find that his notes consist of a sketch of Nemo on the end of a fishing line.

I can't help but start sniggering which causes him to look at me and snigger back. He gives me a cheeky wink as I look up and find Edward once again staring at me with no expression on his face whatsoever. What is with this jerk?

After I finished telling the group that the clothes laundered well and kept their shape, we all stopped for coffee. Everyone chats amongst themselves while Esme proceeds to bombard me with more questions about Josh, and she mentions to me once more about bringing him into the office. I'm sure that she's obsessed with the idea of having a baby around, but I still don't feel comfortable with bringing him into work because it would be unprofessional after all. She must have picked up on my unease about the whole thing, but one thing that can be said for Esme Cullen is that she's a conniving piece of work.

"Carlisle," she says, in an 'I always get my own way' kind of tone. "I was just saying to Bella that she should bring little Joshua into the office one day for us all to meet him." My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, and I give her a swift kick under the table. That still didn't deter her as she continued, "If this little guy has been a tester on the company's behalf, then surely it's only fair that we get to meet him." I inwardly cringe and silently vow to put laxatives in her next cup of coffee.

"Of course," Carlisle says with an enthusiastic nod of his head. "It will bring a bit of life to this place, even if it's only for a few hours."

Emmett bounced up and down in his chair in excitement. "Hell, yeah," he says." I could do with a little dude around here to play with." Seriously! How old is this guy? Surely, Shelly was kidding me when she says that he's the financial director for all of the Cullen's businesses. This guy would be better off working at Toys 'R' Us!

Esme decided 'on my behalf' that I would bring Josh in to meet everyone on Friday. Her theory was that as we all finished early on a Friday, Leah could drop him off after lunch and then I could take him home with me at the end of the day... Perfect Esme, just perfect!

Everyone was in agreement, even Mike, to my amazement, well, I say everyone. I still wasn't happy about it, and Edward looked downright furious. He was still glaring at me and now his jaw was set so tightly that I could see the knot in it as it popped in and out. He still hadn't spoken more than two words to me and I was, quite frankly, getting past the point of caring.

We called the meeting to an end and I made my way back down to the office with Mike. I caught up on several small jobs that needed to be done and decided to make my way to lunch. By this time it was 2:30, and I was starving. I decided to eat in the cafeteria, they did a wonderful cheese omelette and my mouth was already watering at the thought of it.

I grabbed my purse and made my way to the elevator. I hit the down button and waited patiently for it to arrive. When the doors opened, I inwardly groaned. Out of all the people in this damn building it had to be him who stood in there. "Bella," he nodded his head in courtesy.

"Edward," I acknowledged him back.

The ride down to the 11th floor was awkward to say the least. I didn't know if I had said or done something to upset him, maybe he was just shy!

The doors opened and he stepped forward. Oh, God, He's going to the cafeteria too. At least he showed some manners by holding out his hand to indicate for me to step out first. "Thank you," I quietly said to him. Once again he just acknowledged me with a head nod, as I stepped out in front of him.

As I headed towards the queue to get my food, I notice him pass me. But instead of joining the line, he headed towards the back of the room where a woman sat at a table waiting patiently. I noticed that there were two trays of food already on the table, so he was obviously expected. She had blonde hair and was extremely beautiful, with model like qualities, skinny, with high cheekbones, straight nose, stunning eye's... and fake tits!

I watched him, without being obvious, as he approached her. He bent down as he gave her a kiss before taking a seat opposite her and pulling his tray towards him. They looked really comfortable in each other's company as they chatted together. It was obvious from their body language that they were a couple. I don't know why I felt a pang of jealousy, but I did. I mean, the guy obviously disliked me, even if I didn't have a clue why!

I paid for my lunch and found myself a table as far away from them as possible and turned my back. I really could not eat my food if all I had to look at was their PDA.

Later that evening just after I put Josh down to sleep, there was a knock on the door. "Rose, what are you doing here?" I said rather worried. No-one ever came over in the evenings without a phone call first, mainly because they knew that I had Josh in a routine and that I would be so tired afterwards that I just liked to enjoyed my own company with a good book.

"Relax, Bella," Rose said whilst rolling her eyes at me. "I've been to the gym around the corner and just thought that I would drop by for a girly chat. I left home in a rush and left my phone behind," she gushed. "I've brought wine," she said waving the bottle in front of my face like a pendulum.

I was sold. "You open the bottle and I'll get the glasses," I told her.

An hour and a half later, Rose and I hadn't stopped laughing. She was telling me about a guy who kept tinkering with his car just so that he could take it into Rose's garage. It was costing him an absolute fortune to get it repeatedly repaired. He always insisted that Rose, rather than one of the other mechanics, fixed it, and insisted on hanging around chatting her up as she did so.

"Seriously, Bella," Rose laughed hysterically. "You should see him... he must be like...55, and he's bald with bulging eyes and pointy ears. He just looks like Yoda," she squealed whilst kicking her legs in the air, "and you should see his face when I bend under the hood, his eyes bulge out even more**.** I swear the guy has creamed his pants on more than one occasion," she stated.

"Eww, Rose, that's just gross," I laughed.

"Oh, shut it, Swan, you're just jealous that no-one's creaming their pants for you."

"Well, if they look like Yoda then I'm glad they haven't either," I giggled.

Rose ended up staying for another hour and a half before I called her a cab. It had done me the world of good to let my hair down and have some girl time. I had forgotten how much I missed it. Rose promised to drag me out with her one Saturday, and she had already asked Angela and Ben if they would watch Josh for the night whilst we went out. They were more than happy to have him, especially as they hadn't seen him in ages. Angela had said she just needed to check her work schedule to see which weekends she had free.

The next day was pretty uneventful even though I was snowed under with paperwork. Shelly had been off of work for the last two days with a stinking cold, so I had gained a large portion of her workload. I grabbed lunch at my desk and had left one hour later than usual, but I managed to get everything finished before I left for the evening.

I was exhausted by the time I got home. Leah had agreed to stay behind later tonight since she was dropping Josh off early with me tomorrow on Friday. I had called in to the grocery store on my way home to buy some much needed essentials, and caught up on some chores before I fell into bed by 10:30.

Friday morning my alarm woke me at 6:30, for once I felt refreshed and wide awake. I popped my head into the nursery and Josh was still asleep. He was an amazing sleeper, I had heard stories of babies keeping mums awake until they were five years old. I was one of the very lucky ones. My little man has been sleeping throughout the night since he was 6 weeks old. He could currently sleep a good eleven hours before he woke. I put it down to the fact that I gave him a very strict bedtime routine from the moment that I brought him home from the hospital. Apparently, it doesn't work for every parent, but it worked for us!

I entered the office bright and cheerful. I had actually gotten used to the idea of Josh paying me a visit and was really looking forward to it. I valued all the quality time that I got to spend with him, which, other than on weekends, was not a great deal now that I had to work full-time. I threw myself into work knowing that I needed to get everything wrapped up by early afternoon because once my little man arrived, chaos would ensue. I knew it would be best to get it all out of the way before that.

Lunch was just a sandwich and a coffee at my desk whist I ploughed through my work. By 2pm I was pretty much done. I cleared up my desk and filed away the reports before placing the few toys that I had brought with me that morning around the floor for Josh to find.

Leah arrived a short while later. Helen, who was now managing the front desk in Shelly's absence, popped her head around my door and informed me with a huge grin that I had visitors. "Oh, my God, Bella, he is sooooo cute," she said as we walked back towards where Leah and Josh were standing.

As soon as he saw me, my little man started wriggling in Leah's arms, "Mama" he cooed.

"Come here and give mama a big hug," I said as I held out my arms to him.

"I pre-booked a cab with a baby seat so that I wouldn't need to bring his, and I left his stroller at home too," Leah told me.

"That's great, Leah, thanks, that makes things so much easier. I did wonder how you were going to manage the car seat, stroller, and changing bag as well as Josh."

"It's all in the forward planning, Bella," she winked as she bent down to give Josh a kiss goodbye.

We waved her off, and with Josh in one arm and the changing bag in the other, I made my way back to my office.

Everyone was really excited over my little man's visit, and before long we had a constant stream of visitors pouring through the door. Even Mike and Greg paid us a visit and fussed over him. I think it was out of curiosity more than anything, and they just wanted to see who their little guinea pig was.

I heard Esme before I saw her. "Where is he?" she said excitedly as she pushed the door open. She stepped in and gasped, "He's adorable, Bella," as she placed both hands to her chest and a loving smile spread across her face. Before I knew it she had bent down and scooped Josh up into her arms. "Hello, Joshua, my name's Esme. I've come to help you play with your toys today. Is that alright with you?" she asked him.

I had to laugh as Josh turned his head and gave me a look that basically said WTF! Even Esme noticed it and burst out laughing at him, whilst Josh just sat in her arms looking at us in confusion.

We sat on the floor rolling his rattle ball backwards and forwards between the three of us. Josh would squeal in delight every time the ball rolled between his little feet, and he would then either attempt to kick or throw it back to us. After about 10 minutes of playing 'roll the ball', Mike popped his head around the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you ladies, but I need you to rearrange a meeting for me, Bella," he says. "We've hit a few problems with the Jameson project and we need to have an emergency meeting over the next few days. If you could contact them to explain the problem, we'd appreciate if they could come in, so we can get it all sorted out by the end of next week. I would do it myself, but I have a meeting downtown with Robert Jones in 15 minutes. I really need to dash," he explained in a rush as he handed me the Jameson file before running out of the door.

I read the notes in the file and asked Esme to excuse me whilst I made the call. "I'll tell you what, Bella. How about I take Joshua up the 17th to meet Carlisle? I know that he's been looking forward to it and Emmett has positively been bursting at the seams to have someone here who's on the same wavelength as he is," she laughed. "You make your call and then come up to Carlisle's office when you're finished. Take your time, dear, there's no rush," she said as she scooped up Josh and his changing bag. Before giving me a chance to respond, she was at the door.

I finished up my phone call and updated the new meeting details into the Jameson file as well as into my blackberry and made my way up to the 17th floor. I was greeted outside Carlisle's office by Irena, who couldn't wait to tell me what a lovely baby I had, and how everyone was so taken with him. She showed me into Carlisle's office and I was greeted by a sight that I never thought I would see. Josh was sitting there on the floor giggling loudly whilst Carlisle and Emmett showed him how the 'cho cho' train went around the track, and what made it even more humorous was that both of them were even doing the 'chug chug' sounds with a random 'cho cho' thrown in every so often for effect.

I glanced at Esme who was just about to hand me a coffee. She just rolled her eyes at the sight before us. We left the 'boys' to play whilst we both made ourselves comfortable on the sofa. Esme told me that she had brought the train track into the office as she just knew that Josh would love it. "All little boys love a train set, Bella," she was quick to inform me.

Josh was having an amazing time, he was always a happy, smiley baby but here especially, he was having the time of life. He gave out such deep belly laughs that it was impossible not to laugh along with him. It was at that point that the office door opened and in walked Edward carrying an armful of files. He looked up and noticed me sat on the sofa next to his mother. He seemed surprised to see me there and looked confused as he once again nodded his head in acknowledgement of me. He walked over to Carlisle's desk and placed the stack of files down on it.

"Edward, you haven't met Bella's son, Joshua, have you?" Esme spoke to him.

"Yes, son, come down here and join us," Carlisle laughed.

Edward turned around and to my surprise, he actually walked over to them; he took one look at how ridiculous they looked and burst out laughing. "Is that my train set?" he asked almost pouting as he turned to Esme.

"Yes, I dug it out of the basement last night. It's not as if you have much use for it anymore, and I knew that little Joshua here would love it, so I brought it in for him to play with," she told him.

Edward nodded as he sat down on the floor, he then picked up one of the trains and continued to run it around the track. He had a smile on his face the whole time. He was absolutely gorgeous and looked so happy that his whole face lit up. Emmett wasn't impressed that Edward had stolen 'his' train and sat sulking. Josh giggled as Carlisle continued with his 'chug chug' noises.

Josh decided that he wanted Edward's train; I had a funny feeling of butterflies in my stomach as I watched him crawl his way over to Edward. He then grabbed a hold of Edward's arm and pulled himself up onto his feet. Edward seemed surprised at Josh's actions, but I was even more surprised when he placed both of his hands onto Josh's hips to steady him. "Aren't you a big boy, standing up all by yourself?" he said to Josh.

It was the most amount of words that I had ever heard him say. He had such a beautiful voice. It was smooth and sexy... Smooth and sexy WTF! Now I'm sounding like something from a Jackie Collins novel.

Josh sat himself in Edward's lap whilst Carlisle and Emmett argued over who was having the red train and who was having the blue. His phone rang in his pocket and he steadied Josh with one arm whilst he reached in to get it. He looked at the caller id and answered it. "Hello, Lauren, yeah, I'm just about to set off now."

Lauren... That must be his girlfriend I thought as a wave of jealousy hit me. "No, don't worry about it. I'll pick up some food on my way. I won't be long. Yeah, you too," he told her before pressing the end call button. He placed his phone back in his pocket and passed Josh to Emmett. He ruffled his hair and said goodbye to him before standing up. He said goodbye to his father and Emmett before walking across to Esme and placing a light kiss on her cheek. As he made his way to leave he looked at me with a stern face and simply said, "Bella," before walking through the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 7**

I could feel his warm breath as he placed his lips to my ear. "Bella, I want you so much," he whispered, "Let me love you." I couldn't respond as he took my lobe between his lips and nibbled gently, he released it and his warm soft lips kissed down my neck, his tongue flicked out and licked my skin after each kiss, leaving me shuddering as the cold air hit the spot where his hot tongue had been.

He placed his hand on my stomach and trailed his perfect, long fingers backwards and forwards at an agonizingly slow pace until I couldn't take any more "Edward, touch me, please " I begged.

His mouth travelled lower as he laid gentle kisses along my chest until he found the swell of my right breast. "You're so beautiful, Bella," he slowly circled my right nipple with his tongue. I arched my back instinctively. I needed him, I needed his touch. His mouth suddenly clamped down hard and I called out in ecstasy as he licked and sucked my sensitive skin. I rubbed my thighs together to give myself some much needed friction... It didn't go unnoticed, "Have patience, sweetheart," he said. "I'm going to make you feel so good." I groaned in response, before he attacked my breast again. He placed his hands on my outer thighs, and ever so slowly he brought them up to my hips. "These need to go Bella... NOW" he growled, as he wrapped his hands around my delicate lace panties ripping them away from my body.

I woke with a start, panting, I had never had an erotic dream quite like it. It almost felt real. I needed a shower, I was soaked. I don't think that I have ever been this wet, even during sex. I knew that I found Edward Cullen attractive but the man was a jerk. He wouldn't even speak to me, plus, he already had a stunning girlfriend... with fake tits! He also looked down on me like I was something that he had stepped in.

Well, two could play that game. Edward Cullen wasn't good enough for ME! And if he wanted the cold shoulder treatment, that's exactly what he was going to get!

I threw my legs out of bed and headed for a much needed shower. Josh was still asleep so I could take my time... Maybe, I could spend a little time with Roger first...

The weekend passed by relatively uneventful. The weather was nice on Sunday, so I took Josh and we met up in the park with Alice, Rose, Angela and Ben.

It was Angela's day off work, and it was lovely for us all to sit down and catch up with one another. She told me that she had a Saturday night free in two weeks time and could have Josh for the night. I was ecstatic, it meant that I could hit the town with Alice and Rose. I haven't had a night out in ages, so it was something to really look forward to. Alice had met Jasper the previous day, and things were looking really good between the two of them. She was still a little concerned that he had yet to ask her out on a proper date, but we told her to be patient, that he might just be shy and need a little time. Rose was just typical Rose. She told us that she had been out on a date with a guy that she met at the gym. Apparently there was no chemistry between them, so she wouldn't be seeing him again. We talked and laughed all afternoon and by the time we needed to leave, we had all agreed to get together more often in future.

Before I knew it Monday had come around once again. I was sitting at my desk when the telephone rang. "Isabella Swan speaking."

"Bella, hi, it's Jake."

"Oh, God, Jake, how are you?" I almost shouted into the phone. Jake was Angela's brother, we were all so close whilst growing up, but Jake moved away when he met his boyfriend, Sam, three years ago. They lived together in California where they had set up their own photography studio.

"I'm really good, Bells, I was just calling to tell you that I'm going to come home for a visit in a couple of weeks. How would you like to meet up?"

"Oh, Jake, I'd love to. I've missed you so much," I told him truthfully.

"I've missed you too, Bells."

We chatted briefly catching up with one another's lives.

"Listen, I have to go and set up for my next appointment. I'll give you a call when I'm back in Seattle," he tells me. "Give Josh a big hug from his Uncle Jakey."

"I will, Jake, I love you."

"Love you too, Bells, see you soon."

The phone call was short, sweet and straight to the point. That's just the way that Jake has always been, and I love him for it. I was really looking forward to seeing him again. Josh was only two months old when Jake last saw him, he will be amazed with how much he's grown.

By Tuesday, Shelly was back at work, I'd really missed her. James had done a collection whilst she was off and we all chipped in for a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Stargazer Lilly flowers were her favourite, so we made sure that those were included. Later that morning, I was sitting at my desk uploading files into the computer for Mike to send up to Carlisle when the lights flickered and the power went out. Damn, Carlisle really needs these reports within the next hour. The only thing that I could do was to take the paperwork upstairs for him to read instead.

I gathered up the papers and removed my shoes. There was no way on earth that I was going to tackle going up and down two flights of stairs in the dark whilst wearing four inch stilettos!

I made it up to the 17th floor and went straight to Irena's office. She was sitting, holding a cold drink in her hand, whilst her feet were up lazily resting on her desk causing me to laugh at the sight of her.

"Might as well make the most of it," she said with a chuckle. She motioned with her hands for me to go straight into Carlisle's office once I showed her the paperwork.

I knocked on the door twice and waited. Carlisle opened the door almost instantly with a smile and beckoned me inside. "I brought you these," indicating the files that I had in my arms.

"Arr, thank you, Bella, good thinking. I was worried I wouldn't be getting those."

I smiled at him and turned to leave when I noticed Edward sitting on the sofa flicking through a magazine. He looked up at me and I blushed instantly as I remembered back to my dream on Friday night. He must have noticed something was wrong due to my beet colouring. His eyebrows simply knotted together and he put his head back down to his magazine.

I considered saying hello to him but decided not to bother. If he wasn't willing to make the effort, then neither was I.

I smiled again at Carlisle and made my way to leave, when he called me back. "Actually, Bella, I would like a word. Please, take a seat" He pointing to the sofa. I sat down on the edge cautiously. Edward looked up at me and shuffled as far away from me into the corner of the sofa as he could manage, before picking his magazine back up and pretending to read it... FREAK!

"Am I right in thinking that Shelly Cope has returned back to work?" Carlisle asked.

"That's right," I smiled. "She came back today. She looks and feels so much better."

"That's good news," he says whilst looking deep in thought.

A few moments passed and Carlisle still hadn't spoken another word, and I was starting to get worried. "Um, is there a problem that I can help you with?" I asked timidly.

"Actually, Bella, yes, I think there is. Am I right in thinking that you have held a PA position to a CEO before?

"OH, HELL, NO!" Edward shouted as he jumped to his feet.

"Edward, sit down," Carlisle commanded. They stared into one another's eyes having some kind of silent show down before Edward took a deep breath and returned to his seat once again. "Now," Carlisle said, "where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted? Oh yes, previous experience."

"Err, I held the position of PA to the CEO of Ludlum and associates for 2 years," I said uncertainly. I wasn't quite sure where all of this was leading, but what I did know was that I was starting to feel like a lamb to the slaughter.

"Excellent," Carlisle said whist rubbing his hands together. "We need you to transfer up here for a while. Sadly, Jessica had a bad fall last night and has broken her leg. She has had to have an operation this morning to have pins inserted."

I winced at just the thought of it.

"She's going to be in hospital for around four weeks, plus the time that she needs to recuperate at home. Shelly Cope can slip into your role down in marketing for a while until we find a temporary replacement."

"Ok, that's fine," I smiled brightly.

"Good," he laughed. "Meet your new boss," pointing to Edward.

"Oh, no, you have got to be kidding me," I muttered to myself as I looked up to once again find Edward staring at me. He looks positively furious, and the veins in his neck looked like they are ready to pop. This is not going to be pretty!

I figure that one of us needs to be adult about this situation and it obviously isn't Edward, so I stand up take a deep breath, "Okay, Edward, how about you show me around and tell me what you expect from me."

He continued to look at me before rising to his feet and walking through the door. I look to Carlisle, who just shrugs his shoulders and laughs whilst I raise my eyebrows at him before following Edward over to his own office.

Edward was already sitting behind his desk when I entered. I take a seat without being told and have a quick glance around. His office is really comfortable and warm with the main feature of the room was three floor-to-ceiling windows that covered the entire back wall. They offered an amazing view of the city. The remaining three walls were painted dark burgundy about which, hung several paintings. To the right of his desk was a large seating area which housed two black leather sofas, which were facing one another with an elegant glass coffee table placed between them, and to the left was a door which I could only presume led to a private bathroom.

We sit in an uncomfortable silence for what seems like hours, but in reality is probably only a matter of seconds. Edward clears his throat and I look up at him. He leans forward in his chair and places his elbows on his desk. "Look, Bella, I know we haven't made the best of starts, but it looks as though we will be working together for a considerable amount of time. I think that maybe it would be beneficial to both of us to be at least civil to one another," he said, awaiting my reaction.

If he wanted a reaction then that's exactly what he was getting.

"Edward, I don't know exactly what your problem is with me, but let me tell you a few home truths," I said whilst sitting up straight in my chair for extra confidence. "I haven't, and never have had a problem with you. From the first time that you spoke to me in the conference room, you have been ignorant, dismissive, and downright rude, and things have only gone down hill from there. To the best of my knowledge, I have given you absolutely no reason to hate me, and yet you have continued with this behaviour right up to the present day. I know that we have to work together and that neither of us would have done so through choice... however, we need to make the best of a bad situation, so I agree that yes, we could at least try to be civil to one another."

Edward sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "You think that I hate you?" he asked softly.

"I know that you do. I just don't understand the reason why," I looked anywhere but directly at him.

The silence was deafening, before Edward finally spoke, "Go back down to marketing and pack up your things, Bella, you will no doubt want to bring them up here with you."

I nodded in understanding, stood up and proceeded to make my way out of the door.

"Bella," Edward called as I turned around to acknowledge him. "Where are your shoes?"

Carlisle must have let Mike know about my temporary transfer as both he and Shelly were waiting for me when I arrived back on the 15th floor. Thankfully, the power had come back on about five minutes ago, so I rode the elevator back down rather than taking the stairwell.

After a brief meeting with Mike, I showed Shelly the ropes and collected my things together. I didn't have much, several photographs, a few of Josh's toys, which I had left here just in case he visited again, my cell phone, purse, and my self-imposed swear jar, which was now building up a considerable amount of cash. I placed them all into a cardboard box and waved everyone goodbye on my way out. It wasn't as if I was leaving, I was only moving two floors away on a temporary basis after all.

Once I was back on the 17th floor, I found Edward sitting at his desk waiting for me.

"Um, where shall I put these?" indicating the box in my arms.

"Here, let me take them for you," he said as he jumped up and took the box. "Follow me, I'll show you to your office," he said as he led the way.

My office was almost identical to my old one except that the walls were painted dark burgundy, no doubt to match Edward's. He placed the box on the desk and I started to unpack. He smiled when he spotted the swear jar. "This looks like it gets used quite a lot."

"Um yeah, I'm trying to be good. I don't want Josh's first sentence being a stream of profanities," I replied laughing.

"How is he?" he asked.

"He's good. It's his playgroup day today, he likes playing with the other kids," I tell him as he picks up a photo of me with Alice, Rose and Angela.

"Are these your friends?"

"Yeah, we all go back a long way. We don't see much of Angela now that she's moved in with her boyfriend, Ben, but we all keep in touch with her," I say as I point to Angela on the photo.

"They look like a nice bunch," he comments before picking up another photo of Jake, Josh, and myself which was taken on Jake's last visit. He stares at the photo for a while before putting it down.

"I best get going to lunch," he says. "We need to discuss your role when I get back. Please come to my office at 2 o'clock," and with those parting words, he was gone.

I spent my lunchtime in the cafeteria with Emmett's PA, Victoria. Irena stayed behind as she was needed in a meeting with Carlisle. Victoria filled me in on roughly everything that Jessica did for Edward. It was nothing that I hadn't already done in my previous post at Ludlam and Associates. "Does Edward always walk around like he has a stick up his ass?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well" I continued, "He's not the friendliest of people, is he?"

She looked confused. "I don't know what you mean, Bella. He's always been fine with us, in fact, besides Emmett, Edward is usually the life and soul of the party," she said as she removed the tomato from her salad. "Maybe that bitch, Lauren, is giving him a hard time again. You know, Edward was always a womanizer until she came along and got her claws into him. She's a nasty piece of work, but he must see something in her to keep her around for this long."

I decided not to push the issue and besides, what Edward did in his spare time was none of my business. I arrived back up to the office just before 2 o'clock.

Edward was already back behind his desk when I entered. He was tapping something into his computer and didn't look up when I took a seat in front of him.

"Um, you said that you wanted to see me."

"Yes, just give me a minute to finish this up and I'll be right with you. He carried on tapping away furiously, his face set in deep concentration. Once he finished whatever it was that he was doing, he read it back to himself, saved the file, and turned off his computer."I'm sorry about that, Bella, I just needed to get that finished before we start. I don't expect that I need to give you a detailed job description, do I? After all, you have done this before and it's all pretty standard stuff."

"No, Edward, I pretty much know what the job involves," I told him.

"Great, just so that you know, Bella, I don't expect you to run around after me. What I mean is, I don't expect you to be fetching me cups of coffee or sandwiches for lunch. Unless you're fetching them for yourself, that is, and then maybe I would like some too," he smiled... He smiled! We have progress.

I had seen Edward smile before but never at me. God, he looked good! His whole face lights up and he gets a sparkle in his eyes... and what beautiful eyes they are. I could get lost in those jade-coloured pools. Josh has the same colour eyes, and I could look into them the whole day long.

I'm brought back to reality by the realization that Edward is still talking, something along the lines of extra hours and working late. I wasn't really listening; I was still too busy looking into his eyes. He didn't seem to notice as I shook my head and nodded in all the appropriate places.

The rest of the day went better than I expected. I didn't talk with Edward again after that. I had far too much work to be getting on with. I had two business proposals to type up, confirm four appointments, and a presentation evening invitation to accept.

By the time five o'clock came around, I was dead on my feet. I finished up my work, grabbed my coat, and went to inform Edward that I was leaving for the evening. I knocked and opened his door, and his back was facing me whilst he looked out of the window. He was shouting into the phone, but I couldn't hear what was said as the moment he realized that I was there he ended the call.

"What do you want, Bella?" he asked forcefully.

"I was just here to tell you that I've finished for the day."

He sat down and ran his hands over his face. "Well, in that case leave. Just get the hell out of here. I'll see you tomorrow," he spat.

I was taken aback at his sudden-about turn. For most of the day he had been civil with me, and now he was back to the same old jerk that he had been previously. Tears sprang to my eyes as I turned and left the room.

I don't know what the guy's problem is with me, but if he swings one of his moods my way again, I will be tempted to swing one of my fists into his face!


	8. Chapter 8

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 8**

I give Edward a wide berth the next day. I have spent hours trying to work out exactly what I had done wrong, and nothing springs to mind. I just couldn't figure out why he had taken such a dislike to me. What was it that had him hating me so much?

I was busy at my desk as Edward walked into the office later that day wearing a black fitted suit with a white shirt and black tie. With his lickable jaw and bed hair, he oozes sex appeal. I have no doubt that if he turns on the charm, he could have dozens of women falling at his feet. I could easily be one of those women, but there's no way I would let that happen.

The man obviously hated me for reasons only known to him. In fact, right at this moment, even I hated me. What am I thinking? Drooling all over a man, who doesn't even bother to speak to me, is not even worth my time. I needed to pull myself together and take a reality check.

Edward takes a seat in front of my desk and places a paper bag in front of me. "What's this?" I ask skeptically.

"A peace offering," he replies, as I look into the bag. "I phoned mom. She said you're a big fan of doughnuts... I hope you like them with frosting and sprinkles," he smiled. "Listen, Bella, I am so sorry about the way that I spoke to you last night, and I cannot apologize enough for that."

"Edward, have I done something to upset you?" I ask as I bit down on my lip unconsciously.

"No, not at all. I have a lot on my mind at the moment, but that is no excuse to take things out on you. There are a lot of things that I need to sort out, and I apologize again for the way that I have treated you. I can assure you that none of this is your fault." He paused looking genuinely sorry. "I'm not the most patient man," he continues with a slight chuckle. "I also have a tendency to fly off the handle, but I promise to make more of an effort from now on. Please say that you forgive me, and that we can make a fresh start?"

He looks at me with pleading doe eyes and a grin, and my heart melts right at that moment.

"I'd like that, Edward," I tell him truthfully. He holds out his hand for me to shake. The familiar sensation of warmth travels through me once more as he holds onto my hand a little longer than necessary.

"Friends?" he says.

"Friends," I reply.

He stands up to leave, straightening out his suit "I'm glad we've managed to sort things out, Bella."

"Me too," I smile at him.

He's just about to walk through the door as call him back. "Oh, Edward," he turns to look at me. "Thanks for the doughnut," I say as I take a bite.

"You're welcome, Bella," he winks.

The rest of the week passes without incident. Edward and I are actually getting along really well and have developed quite a good working relationship. Emmett, Carlisle, and of course, Esme, are all becoming regular visitors to my office for a chat. I have really started to enjoy working for Edward. With our newly-found truce, things are running really smoothly.

The weekend came and went. Alice came by and was bouncing with joy when she told me that Jasper had finally asked her out on a date. "O.M.G. Bella," she exaggerated. "He just came into the studio at random and asked me out," she almost shouted in excitement while bouncing on the spot. "Obviously, I had to pretend to think about it... You have to keep them on their toes you know," she insisted. "He's just so lovely, Bella. He's really quiet and shy. Just wait until you meet him. I know you're going to love him just as much as I do."

"WOAH! Back up there, Alice, did you just say that you loved him?" I asked surprised.

"Um, yeah, I think I just did," she said, surprising even herself. Her eyes filled up with emotion "Jeez, Bella, I do, I actually love him," she cried as we threw our arms around one another.

Of course, Alice going on a date called for a whole new outfit! Jasper wouldn't tell her where he was taking her, so that called for several different outfits suitable for every occasion. By the time our shopping trip had ended, I think even Josh was plotting to string the she-devil up by the hair.

Monday soon arrived, and I reached the 17th floor with fifteen minutes to spare as I threw off my coat and headed to the break room to pour myself a coffee. I decide that as I'm making one for myself, I would take Edward one too. I knock and walk into his office and find that both he and Emmett are sitting on the sofa poring over paperwork that is strung out all over the coffee table.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett calls with a cheery wave.

"Hey, Emmett, sorry, if I'd have known that you were here I would have brought you one too," I indicated to the coffee before passing it to Edward.

"Bella, you wound me," he says, mock clutching his chest while falling backwards onto the sofa.

I shake my head at him. "Ok, Emmett, how do you take it?"

"White, two sugars," he smiles, showing all his teeth as I make my way back to the coffee machine.

When I return, I pass Emmett his coffee and take a seat on the opposite sofa. "Is there a problem?"

"We're just looking over the Jameson project," Edward tells me. "Marketing has done a great job, and Jameson is now happy. There's just a few issues that we need to iron out before we can mark it as finished."

The problem is that today is the deadline. I hope you're prepared to work though lunch?" he asks as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll phone down to the cafeteria and ask someone to have lunch ready prepared for us. I'll just go down later and collect it. What would you like?"

"Lasagne, two orders of fries, side salad and a diet coke... Gotta watch the figure," Emmett says while patting his stomach.

"You won't even be working over lunch," Edward tells him.

"No, but it will save me having to wait in line," Emmett deadpans as we both roll our eyes at him.

"Um, I'll just have a Tuna, mayo sub, a salad and a Dr. Pepper," Edward says. "Oh, and a bag of Hersey's milk chocolate kisses, a packet of peanut butter M&M's, and a Wonka Skrumdiddlyumptius bar," he looks sheepish as he says it.

"Seriously, Edward?" I ask.

He looks down and simply nods his head in embarrassment.

"Ok, I'll go and phone it down. Shall I make you an appointment for the dentist while I'm at it?" I joke.

He looks up at me and gives me a panty-dropping grin, and I can't help it, my stomach does back flips and my heart rate accelerates at just one look... God, that man is beautiful.

He winks at me and smiles. "No, it's ok, Bella, I already have an appointment for next week."

I think I need to go and change my panties. They're damp. No-one has ever had an effect on me like that before. I head for the bathroom to 'clean up.'

*_Note to self: Always keep spare panties in the desk drawer_!*

We work in our own offices for the rest of the morning. It was for the best, I can't seem to control my feelings when I'm around Edward. I'm just grateful that he hasn't picked up on the fact that I turn to mush every time I look him in the eye or whenever he smiles at me. It would be so embarrassing if he knew. Not only did he have a girlfriend, but my feelings would definitely not be reciprocated.

By the time lunch comes around, I'm starving. I pop down to the cafeteria to collect our food and make my way back to Edwards office. When I enter, he is sitting at his desk hunched over a dozen papers and files that are randomly scattered around. His suit jacket hangs from the back of his chair and the sleeves of his white dress shirt are rolled up to his forearms. His green silk tie that matches the green of his eyes is loosened at the neck, and the top two buttons of his shirt are undone. The sight of him alone is enough to take my breath away.

"I've picked up lunch," I choke out nervously.

"Great, I'm starved too. Here, take a seat," he says as he stands to pulls a chair around the desk so that I'm sitting next to him.

I take a seat and hand him his lunch. He wastes no time digging straight into his sub. "Mmm," he mumbles appreciatively with a mouth full of sandwich.

"Good?" I ask.

He nods his head and smiles as I take out my plain salad on wholegrain.

"You eat rabbit food," he laughs pointing at my sandwich.

"Hey, no knocking my sandwich, besides, I have to watch my weight. Do you realize how long it took to regain my figure after having Josh?" I playfully push his shoulder.

It doesn't escape my notice that his eyes quickly scan my body as he lifts up his Dr. Pepper and takes a large gulp. I feel color creep into my cheeks, and decided to change the subject. "Umm, so how's it all going?" I ask pointing to the papers on the desk.

"Great," he tells me as we both lean forward to look at the files. "I have highlighted all the alterations that need to be made and have numbered them."

I nod in understanding.

"Now on this sheet," he says whist placing it in front of me. "I have each correction written out with the corresponding number to the side off it. I need you to rewrite it all, making sure that all the alterations are correctly in place. It needs uploading to the Jameson file, marked as closed and sent back to them by 4pm. That's the deadline."

"Well, I better get to work then," I say as I stand to gather up the files. Edward helps and his fingers accidently brush against mine as we both go to pick up the same papers. I can't help my intake of breath at the feeling of his skin against mine. I smile at him and blush as I take the files back to my office.

I finish up at 3.30 with just thirty minutes to spare. I quickly email Edward all of the amendments I have made and within ten minutes, he emails me back, giving me the go ahead to mark it as closed and send it over to Jameson. I breathe a sigh of relief.

It had been a hard day. I needed a drink, I haven't had one since lunchtime, so I pour myself a coffee and grab one for Edward while I'm there. Both of my hands are full, so instead of knocking, I bend down slightly and push the handle of his door down with my elbow so that it swings open only to find Edward sitting in his chair with Lauren straddling his lap. He has his hands placed on her hips, while her hands are twisted into his hair and her tongue is down his throat.

I feel physically sick as Edward turns and looks at me. All I can do is murmur my apologies as I turn and flee back to my office. Putting both drinks down on my desk, I grab my coat, and leave for the day. I'm crushed. How could I feel something so strong for my boss? I'm such a fool. Edward could never feel something for someone like me. I feel tears sting my eyes and roll down my cheeks, as I flag down a cab and make my way home to my little man.

**WOW! I am completely blown away by the response to MOI. Thank you everyone who has taken the time to review and to read this story. A few people seem to be curious as to what is running through Edwards mind, so, the next chapter will be a one off. It will be from Edward's POV and may give you a small insight as to what he's thinking. The next update will be in two days time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 9**

EPOV

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted at Lauren as I pushed her away.

"Oh, come on, Edward, what's wrong with you? You have haven't touched me in weeks," she complained.

"It's over, Lauren, I can't do this anymore. I have told you a dozen times, and you're still not listening to me," I told her exasperated as I ran my hands through my hair. I was furious. When would she finally accept it?

"You know as well as I do, Edward, that you want me. Once we get little Eddie out to play, you'll forget that you ever said that." She said pouting, as she dropped to her knees and crawled over to me. She pushed her overly large plastic breasts together and licked her lips.

Her hands ran seductively up and down my thighs and instinctively things started to stir down below. I needed a release; it had been weeks and I didn't know how much longer I could hold back.

I felt her unbutton my pants and pull down the zipper. As she ran her hands slowly along my length giving me the much needed friction that I crave, I threw my head back and enjoyed the feeling. God, it had been so long. "I love you so much, baby," she says as she reaches to pull me free from my boxer briefs.

It was then that something snapped inside of me. I couldn't do it. I forcefully pushed her hands away. "Get your coat and get the fuck out of my office," I said disgustedly as I stood and refastened my pants.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to play this, Edward," She spat back. "You know as well as I do that you'll be back in a few days. You always are." She gathered up her coat and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Lauren and I had been together for around 6 months. She was nice enough at times, but it was nothing serious on my part. She told me that she loved me often, and even though I didn't love her back, I would usually say "You too" just to keep the peace. It was wrong of me, but I figured that we would eventually just get bored of one another and drift our separate ways. She was nothing more than a quick fuck and now I wanted rid of her. It looked as though that was going to be easier said than done... Yeah, I'm a bastard...I wasn't sorry.

I've always been a bit of a player, a love em and leave em type. Meet them, take them home, fuck them, yada yada yada... That was until Vegas, I went there around 18 months ago with Emmett and Jasper.

I won't lie. I had a good time with lots to drink, and a few women. That was until one night when Jasper won big on the slots. We met up with a bunch of girls who helped us celebrate. We were already drunk from crawling the strip all night. I don't really remember much at all except that one girl. She had an effect on me like no-one ever before.

We went to the club in the hotel, laughing and rubbing our bodies together as we danced. We kissed, we touched, and before I knew it, we were back in my room. I remember staring into her chocolate eyes as I entered her, and I remember feeling like I never wanted to be with anyone else as long as I lived.

The next morning I woke with a hangover and an empty bed. She had left. I couldn't remember her name. I couldn't even remember what she looked like other than the look in her eyes as I made her mine. I felt lost. I had always treated women so badly, and yet I wanted this complete stranger so much...

I vowed there and then that when I got home I would try to treat women better... Jeez, I've even been trying with Lauren for 6 long months, but I really couldn't take any more of her. She had to go. Although I suppose I should give her an apology for the way that I've just spoken to her.

But, right now the only thing on my mind was Bella. I saw her as the door opened and she witnessed Lauren straddling me while deep throating my mouth with her tongue.

Bella's face, it was a mixture of shock and embarrassment. She had left quickly before I had a chance to react. I hoped that she was alright. I would hate to think that she was upset at what she had seen, or at least what she thinks she saw. It wasn't as if either of us was naked or anything, so that was okay, wasn't it?

I would send her some flowers and hope that would be the end of the matter.

Would she forgive me? It was a really unprofessional thing to do at the office, plus I had treated her appallingly in the past few weeks.

_Bella._ The first time I saw her was in the elevator. She wore a grey wool dress that clung to her curves and the most amazing pair of heels. I would have loved to have taken her against the wall right there and then. The feeling of those heels digging into my ass as I pounded into her would have been heaven. I smirked at her as I caught her checking me out in the reflection of the elevator doors. She was so beautiful. Her porcelain skin turned beet red as she realized that I had noticed what she was doing. We reached her floor and I couldn't help but laugh as both she and her blush walked away.

I saw her again during a meeting in the conference room. She blushed and I smirked at her as I looked her up and down. She took my breath away as she stood before me with her hair up again, showing the delicate skin of her neck. She wore a pair of skinny leg pants and combined with her pumps, they made her legs look a million miles long. Her top was a beautiful ivory color that hung loosely and yet accentuated her perfectly full and rounded breasts. She was a vision.

As I shook her hand, a feeling of being home ran throughout my body. I knew right then and there that I wanted her. Or should I say, I wanted to fuck her!

That was until I realized that she had a child, and if she had a child, then she had to have a husband or a boyfriend.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her, I glanced down at her wedding finger and noticed that there was no band, she wasn't married. But still, she obviously wasn't single and I may be many things, but I am no home wrecker.

I couldn't understand why, but all I knew was that I didn't like it one little bit when she laughed with my brother. I could feel my jaw tightening and my anger raged, I couldn't bring myself to be around her after that. I wanted her so badly and knew that it could never happen.

I met her son just a few days later. He had green eyes and a similar hair coloring to mine, chubby legs and a killer smile. He was beautiful, just like his mother. My heart melted as he crawled over to me and pulled himself up. I grabbed hold of his hips to steady him from falling. He was playing with my old train set that my mother had brought in for him. He seemed to love it, and we all laughed at how carried away my father and Emmett would get making their "Choo-Choo, and Chug Chug" noises.

I think that I fell in love with his chuckle that day. I think we all did. I have never had much interaction with children, let alone babies, but with Bella's son I felt at ease. I just wish that I could feel that way around his momma. I ignored her as she sat on the sofa with my mother.

I knew that my mother wasn't stupid, and I think she secretly realized that I found Bella attractive. She just had the decency not to bring the subject up with me.

I was not happy when my father gave Bella the temporary position as my PA. I couldn't seem to spend two minutes around the woman without me fucking up in some way, and now he wanted her directly under me... To be fair, I wanted her directly under me as well, but for completely different reasons.

We tried to avoid one another as much as possible, but it was useless. We had a few spats, but Bella could really give as good as she gets and ended up ripping me a new one ... she's so feisty... I just want to kiss her even more.

Eventually, I had no choice but to try and make an effort. I really wish that I had done it sooner. Why had I been so horrible to her? Once I gave her a chance, we started to get along really well. It really hurt me when she said that she thought I hated her... If only she knew the truth!

Once we had called our truce, or rather once I had pulled my head from out of my ass, she really was a pleasure to work with, and we had begun to develop a great friendship. I enjoyed her company and would occasionally seek her out on the pretense of work just so that I could spend time with her... I wanted to spend all of my time with her.

I cleared up my desk, grabbed my jacket and made my way into Bella's office. I noticed two cups of cold coffee on her desk as I walked behind it, taking a seat, and picking up her photos that she proudly had on display.

As well as a picture of her and some friends, she also had one of her son fast asleep cuddling up to his teddy bear, he looked adorable. I picked up the one that I had dreaded to look at the most, but felt the need to do so. It was of Bella, her son, and a man who was probably his father. She looked so stunning, her smile lit up her whole face as she held the very tiny baby in her arms. Behind her stood her boyfriend, he had one arm wrapped around Bella's waist and the other hand resting on the baby in her arms; his chin was resting on her shoulder and he was grinning proudly, the look in his eyes was one of love.

I replaced the photo back where it belonged, sat back and rubbed my hands over my face several times. What was I doing? I've had so many women that I never really wanted... and now I wanted nothing more than a woman I could never have.

**A/N **

**So, that was EPOV, did it give any insight as to what Edward is thinking?** **Hopefully, now you can see what caused him to struggle with his feelings for Bella. He can be such an ass, but he does have a soft side I promise! **

**This chapter was originally intended as an outtake but so many of you were wondering just how Edward's mind was working that I thought I'd slip it in as an extra chapter. **

**I would also like to take the time to thank everyone who has reviewed and stayed with this story. I'm trying to reply to each and every one of you. **

**Special thanks once again go to TwiMoments, (my rock) jamieloveschad, & leaf_chick. Thanks ladies for all your help.**


	10. Chapter 10

All** characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 10**

When I arrive home, Josh and Leah are nowhere to be seen. Then I remember it's because I left the office early, and they would still be at playgroup. For once I was thankful that I had the apartment to myself. I wiped the tears from my eyes and reached into my purse for my cell scrolling down the list of contacts until I found Rose's work number. I hit the call button.

"Hello, you bend em I mend em. Rose speaking." It usually made me chuckle when I heard her answering the phone like that.

"Rose, it's Bella," I sniffed. She must have picked up just by my tone that something was wrong.

"Bella, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" she asked worriedly.

"Um, I'm just been really stupid, Rose, I don't even know why I'm crying," I sniffed again. "Is there any chance you could drop by later? I could really use someone to talk to, and I don't want to call Alice. She's still buzzing about her date with Jasper and I don't want to bring her down from her high."

"Of course I will, do you need me to come now? I'm not overly busy and the guys here can handle things."

"No, Rose, honestly, it's nothing that can't wait," I told her truthfully. "Just come by later. I'll cook us dinner and we can have a chat once I put Josh to bed."

"That sounds great. I'll be there around 7.30, okay?"

"That's perfect. Thanks, Rose, I'll see you later." I hung up and went to the bathroom to wash my face. I looked in the mirror, my eyes were red and puffy and my cheeks were tear-stained. I quickly threw some water on my face and patted it dry.

Rose knocked on the door a little after 7.30. I had pulled myself together by then and realized that I was being a pathetic mess. "Come on in. I'm just about to serve dinner," I said cheerfully.

"Well, this is a turn around for the books. I thought you were about to throw yourself off the roof with the way you sounded on the phone," she said, flipping her long blonde hair over one shoulder.

"Oh, you know me, Rose, I always like a bit of drama. I just had a shock that's all. It was nothing really."

"I smell bullshit!" Rose was never one to mince her words.

"Look, all that happened was that I walked in on Edward and his girlfriend getting it on. I was shocked, that's all. I wasn't expecting it. I freaked out, came home and called you. End of story." Okay, I was playing it all down because I felt like a fool, but no-one needed to know that.

"Edward, as in your boss, Edward?" she asked.

"Yeah, we've started to get along really well lately. I just didn't expect to walk in and find his girlfriend riding his crotch that's all."

I gave Rose a couple of hard slaps on the back as she choked on her water.

"No, seriously, she was riding him?"

I shook my head trying to get rid of the mental image. "Well, I'm not really sure what was happening. I didn't stay long enough to find out".

"Bella, why would it bother you so much to see your boss with his girlfriend?"

"Oh, shit, I don't know," I kept myself busy by serving up our steaks. "I suppose I kind of have a crush on him."

"You have a crush on him? Bella, that's great. Well, kind of, I mean, he's got a girlfriend obviously, but we all kind of thought you'd gone off sex since you had Josh. You've never shown any interest in anyone since mystery man in Vegas," she said whilst piling a heap of salad onto her plate.

"We?" I asked. "Are you telling me that you have all been sitting around discussing my lack of a sex life? Jeez, Rose, that makes me feel really great."

"Oh, Bella, it wasn't like that. We were concerned, that's all. Come on, 18 months is a long time. We were worried that the hole was going to heal over. We all know that you have Roger, but let's face it, it's no substitute."

"Are we really going to discuss this?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Obviously, what else is there to discuss?" she said raising an eyebrow in return.

We glared at each other across the table for ages before we both burst into laughter.

"So, you like Edward?" she finally said.

"Yeah, I liked him from the moment I saw him, but he was really strange. I think he hated me at first, although I really don't know why. He avoided me and when he did see me, he wouldn't even acknowledge me, let alone speak. It was only when I went to work for him that he started making an effort. Since then we have got along really well."

Rose swallowed down a mouthful of steak. "Is he serious with the girlfriend?"

"Yeah, as far as I know. I'm not sure how long they have been together, but I've seen her with him a couple of times and they look close. VERY close if this afternoon is anything to go by," I laughed.

I was now starting to see how ridiculous this whole situation was.

"Well, maybe we should find out. We should bring Alice in on this. Didn't you say that Edward was Jasper's brother?"

"Don't even go there, Rose," I warned. "Leave Alice out of this. There is no way we're going to let her start pumping Jasper for info. I've never even met the guy, but no way would I inflict that on him. Alice is enough to put up with during the best of times, without her interrogating him as part of Project Edward!"

"We'll see," she said while finishing off her meal. I just glared at her. It was no use going against Rose; she always got her own way.

I sent her on her way a little after 11pm. I checked on Josh, showered, checked on Josh again and climbed into bed. I was exhausted and had to be up early the next day to face Edward.

I arrived at the office by 8.30, I figured that it was the least I could do after running out the way that I did. I had decided that I would apologize for my action and try to be nonchalant about the whole situation.

Just after 9am, there was a knock at my door and there was Edward looking sheepish.

"Bella, I can't apologize enough for what happened yesterday. Please say that you forgive me."

He looked at me expectantly.

"Edward, really, there's nothing to forgive," I sat back in my chair trying to look indifferent. "Seeing you like that with your girlfriend wasn't something that I was expecting that's all. It was my fault, I was a little shocked and over-reacted."

"Bella, she's..."

"No, Edward, really. Let's just put the whole thing behind us," I told him with a smile.

"Are you sure? Only..."

"Yes, Edward, I'm sure."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Well, in that case... I got you these... as a white flag," he retreated back through the door briefly before returning. He held in his hands the most beautiful arrangement of English garden flowers, full of lush white roses, purple stock mix, and delicate lavender wax flowers. They were presented in a beautiful clear glass vase with a purple satin ribbon.

"Oh, Edward, you didn't need to do this," I said as I walked around my desk to take them.

I stood in front of him as he held the flowers in front of his chest. I reached out my hand and felt the delicate petals of the white roses, closing my eyes I took in the floral sent as it wafted though the air.

"They really are beautiful, Edward. Thank you," smiling I opened my eyes to look him in the face.

He looked at me and swallowed. "You're more than welcome, Bella," he said quietly before handing me the arrangement. Our eyes were locked, and I felt a moment of familiarity before Edward turned and walked away back to his office.

"Oh my, those are lovely," Esme said looking at the flowers as she waltzed into my office after lunch.

"Yeah, they're from Edward," I told her matter of factly. I wasn't about to tell her why Edward gave me flowers, but knowing Esme, she had already put 2 +2 together and come up with 8.

She raised her eyebrow at me, "Really?"

"Don't even go there," I told her sternly. "We had a misunderstanding and the flowers are an apology."

"Edward actually apologized for something?" she asked. "Interesting!"

I shook my head at her. There was no way that I was getting into this with Edward's mother. I wasn't about to rat him out to her either over the whole Lauren thing. Esme would just have to jump to her own conclusions, and judging by the smile on her face, she already had.

"They are really beautiful though. He must have put a lot of thought into those" she said with sly grin.

"Drop it, Esme," I screwed up my eyes and gave her an evil glare.

"Knock, knock, anyone in?" A voice called from the doorway.

"Jake!" I shouted running to him. I flung my arms around him and buried my head into the crook of his neck.

"The nice lady at the desk showed me to your office. I wanted to surprise you," he said as he picked me up and spun me around.

"Well, you have certainly managed that. Come in and meet my friend, Esme." I couldn't believe that Jake was really here.

"Esme, this is my good friend and bad influence, Jacob Black," I told her after he'd put me back down. "Jake, I'd like you to meet my equally bad influence, Esme Cullen." They shook hands warmly, and then Jake proceeded to fill Esme in on how it was actually me who was a bad influence on him. They hit it off immediately, and I was left to finish up my work while those two went off to look at some photos of Esme's latest design project together.

I gave Jake a 'keep your mouth shut about my secrets or otherwise- you're- dead' look, and in return he gave me a one fingered salute as he left the office. Just like old times.

Later that evening, Rose put Josh to bed while I met up with Angela, Ben, and Jake, for dinner at the 'How To Cook A Wolf' restaurant on Queen Anne Ave. I had never been before, but Ben had taken Angela, and she had raved about it. I was quite impressed. It was really sleek with its curved wooden ceiling and trendy young couples perched at its tables.

"So," Angela said, as she took a bite of her New York Strip. "Are you looking forward to Saturday, Bella?"

"Why, what's happening on Saturday?" Jake glanced between all three of us.

"Bella, Rose, and Alice are hitting the town," Ben laughed, taking a sip of his wine. "It's the poor unsuspecting men of Seattle that I feel sorry for," he continued with a chuckle.

I gasped with fake horror. "Excuse me, I'm right here," I said as I waved my hands in front of Ben's face. "Besides, we're not that bad."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time that you went out on the town with Rose, you came back carrying a baby." Ben laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Angela was there too. It's just as much her fault," I said as I winked at Angela.

"Don't bring me into it, I was an innocent party. I wasn't there when you took off with the sperm donor," she chuckled.

"Hang on!" Jake said. "You're having a girl's night out?"

"Hmm," I nodded whilst tucking into my Tagliarini.

"So, where's my invite?"

"Jake, I'm sorry but the last thing I knew, you were not a girl," I told him in all seriousness.

"I don't care. I want an invite. I can be one of the girls. Besides you just know that you won't have half as much fun without me there." He did have a point.

"Okay," I held up my hand up in surrender. "You can come, but keep your hands off any hot men. They're ours," I joked.

Jake, clapped his hands together in the campiest manner that he could muster up. He still didn't pull it off. He might be gay, but he's the butchest man I know and camp is definitely not his style.

We finished off our meal, drank another bottle of wine between us, and paid the bill. It had been a really good evening. Angela had said that she would drive over around 5pm on Saturday to pick up Josh, and would bring him home around lunch time on Sunday. That would give me plenty of time to sleep off my hangover... Hopefully, anyway.

We said goodbye to Angela, and Ben. Jake was driving me home due to the fact that I still hadn't sorted myself out with a car. As we neared the front of the restaurant I was surprised to see Edward, dining with Carlisle, and Emmett. They were obviously talking business as they had a mountain of papers on the table in front of them.

"Bella," I heard Emmett's booming voice call before he wrapped me up into a bear hug. "Hi, Emmett." I choked, barely able to breathe.

"Hello, Bella," I heard Carlisle say as I pried myself out of Emmett's arms. "Why don't you join us?"

"Oh. Sorry, Carlisle, but we've already eaten." I told him truthfully. "But thank you for asking."

I looked at Edward who was looking between between Jake and myself with a strange, pained expression on his face.

"Bells, aren't you going to introduce us?" I heard Jake say from behind me.

"Oh, yes, sorry." I mumbled. "Jake this is Emmett, Carlisle, and Edward Cullen. Edward is my boss," I told him. "And this," I said gesturing towards Jake, "is one of my best friends, Jacob Black."

They all stood and shook hands, and I'm sure I heard Edward let out a whoosh of air and mutter the word 'friend' to himself before he smiled warmly and shook Jake's hand.

"I suppose we could stay for a little while," Jake, said with an amused look on his face. "One drink won't hurt."

I knew that look; it meant one of two things. Either Jake was eyeing up one of the Cullen's or else Rose or Alice had told him about my little boss crush. My bet was on Rose.

We took a seat. Jake pulled up the empty chair next to Emmett, while Edward stood and pulled a chair out for me to sit next to him.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Emmett asked as Carlisle ordered another bottle of wine.

"Too long," I told him and I gave Jake a 'don't show me up bitch' death glare.

Emmett chuckled as Carlisle proposed a toast, "To friends and colleagues." We all clinked glasses.

"So, what is it that you do, Jake?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm a photographer. I'm based in California. It's not very often that I get to come back to Seattle," he told him. "I'm just here for a visit to spend some time with my sister, and catch up with a few friends."

"A photographer, eh?" Carlisle asked impressed. "That's quite a hobby of mine."

From then on, Emmett, Jake, and Carlisle had their heads together discussing all things photography.

I suddenly felt a warm breath of air on my cheek, and Edward whispered, "Looks like they're going to be at it all night. Maybe we should have our own party."

I looked into his eyes, our faces were just inches apart, and all that I could think about was just how hot it had suddenly become, yet I was shivering. I picked up my glass and drank it all down in one gulp. Edward sat back in his chair and laughed while picking up the wine bottle and pouring me another one.

"So, you and Jake are just friends?" he asked as he moved his chair a little closer to mine.

"Um, yeah," I nodded. "We go back years. He's my friend, Angela's, brother. We've been through a lot together."

"Such as?" He cocked his head to one side expectantly.

"Err, well, just the usual, really," I told him. "He comes in handy for beating up cheating boyfriends." I laughed to myself at the memory of Jake, beating up my ex three years ago when I caught him getting a blow job off some skank at a party we had gone to.

"I'll remember that," he smirked, taking a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving mine. "What else?"

I swallowed. Hard!

"He was my rock when I found out that I was pregnant," I blurted out. I mentally wanted to slap myself for leaving me wide open for questions.

Edward looked confused. "So, you're just friends, but he's Josh's father?"

"Umm, no. He's not Josh's father, he was there to support me that's all." I could see a thousand and one questions racing through Edward's mind, and I was hoping and praying that he wasn't about to ask them.

I had no such luck!

"You've never mentioned him, are you still together?" he asked.

_There's nothing like being straight to the point is there? _I shook my head.

"No, we, err, we have nothing to do with him, and he's not in our lives," I said quickly, looking down and circling the top of my wine glass with my finger.

Edward leaned in towards me and slowly whispered into my ear. "His loss is someone else's gain, Bella."

I thought that my heart was going to leap out of my chest. His face was once again just inches from mine. Our eyes locked on one another before he lowered his gaze to my lips and slowly licked his.

Am I imagining things, or is Edward Cullen flirting with me? Jeez, I can't even think straight.

One thing that I did manage to remember was that he had a girlfriend, and there was no way on this earth that I would ever go down the 'office fling' road.

"So, is there someone else?" He took a drink and slowly leaned back in his chair again.

I wasn't sure how to answer that, I mean, come on, who wants to look like the desperate saddo who no-one wants to date. Yet at the same time I didn't want to give a man who was already involved with someone else the wrong idea; or maybe even the right idea, because let's face it, Edward Cullen does things to my body that should be illegal just by looking at him.

I decided to just tell the truth. After all, being single... and desperate is nothing to be ashamed of.

Edward must have asked the question louder than he intended because before I had a chance to say anything, Jake answered for me.

"Bella's been in a relationship for about 18 months now, haven't you, Bells?"

WTF!

I don't quite know what game Jake's playing, but I shoot him a death glare, it has absolutely no effect. So I pick up my glass and take a large drink.

"Really, Bella, you've never mentioned a partner before," Emmett sounded intrigued as he leant forward awaiting my answer.

"What?!" Jake says, shocked. "You've never told them about Roger, I'm surprised at you, Bells."

I choked, hard!

So hard that I couldn't even breathe, I was gasping for breath. My eyes were watering, Edward, was slapping me on the back, and Jake just sat there with a satisfied grin on his face. Bastard!

Carlisle handed me a glass of water and I finally managed to calm myself. Thankfully, due to my near death experience, Roger had been completely forgotten about and the conversation had moved on to something else. I was happy to just sit back and pretend to listen to whatever it was that they were talking about, because inwardly I was planning Jake's death. Images of Chinese water torture, and fingernails being pulled out flashed before my eyes.

I was brought back down to earth by Jake, mentioning my name.

"Bella, we need to get going."

"It's been nice meeting you all, but we really have to go. Bella here needs her beauty sleep," he said to everyone.

Did he REALLY just say that I need beauty sleep? As if the Roger comment wasn't bad enough.

I'm seriously going to kill him, and it won't be quick either. I blushed a hundred different shades of red as I said my goodbyes.

Edward rose and gave me a peck on the cheek, saying "I'll see tomorrow, Bella." I simply nodded as I made my way towards the door.

As soon as we got outside I wasted no time in hitting Jake around the head several times with my purse.

"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You." I shouted with every swing that I took at him. Jake found it highly amusing as he headed for the car while trying to dodge my well-aimed blows.

Thank God he lives in California. I had forgotten just how stressful life with Jake could be.

**A/N Poor Bella, will she ever get over the humiliation of Roger? Jake certainly makes his presence felt doesn't he?**


	11. Chapter 11

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 11**

"Good morning, Bella," Edward called the next day, as he walked into his office.

I was standing in the corridor talking with Vicky about an upcoming conference in Chicago, which would require both Emmett and Edward to attend for three days. We figured it would be easier to arrange their travel and hotel reservations at the same time since they would be travelling together.

"Good morning, Edward," I called after him.

I went to my office to search for the hotel accommodations. I was booking the rooms and Vicky was arranging the flights, so that was one less thing for me to worry over. I felt lucky when I found two king bed suites still available at the Hilton Hotel where the conference was to be held. I quickly made the booking and printed off three copies of the details. I filed one away and gave Vicky a copy for Emmett before taking the other to Edward.

"Come in," he called as I knocked on his door. He was standing by the filing cabinet with his back to me as he looked over some paper work. His jacket had been removed and I could see the muscles on his back and shoulders ripple beneath his white shirt as he moved his arms.

He turned slightly and pulled his lips up into a beaming smile.

"Um, I brought you the accommodation details for your trip to Chicago," I smiled back.

"Ahh, thanks, Bella," he quickly glanced over them. "Do you have the flight details?"

"No, Vicky's taking care of those. She said something about booking the company jet."

"That's fine. Just let me know when it's all arranged."

"Will do," I turned on my heel to leave.

"Bella," Edward called. I turned towards him, stumbling when I found that he had moved right in front of me. My hand instinctively shot forward onto his chest as I tried to steady myself as he placed his hands at my waist holding me upright. "Be careful, we don't want you falling."

I could feel the muscles underneath his shirt, jeez, he felt good. He obviously worked out because he was solid. Not in a steroid-induced body builder kind of way. No, this was firm and yet soft and well- defined.

OH. MY. GOD! I could feel his nipple starting to rise beneath my finger tips.

Would he notice if I gave it a quick tweak?

I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip in an attempt to regain my composure. I was sure I heard Edward let out a throaty groan before I righted myself. He still had his hands placed at my waist and I was almost certain that I felt his thumbs skim my sides before he let go.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. I could only nod. He was a matter of inches away from me, and I longed to throw my hands into his beautiful bronze bed hair and kiss him senseless.

I somehow managed to pull myself together. "Sorry about that," I murmured as I removed my hand from his chest.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Bella."

I turned again to leave his office before remembering the reason that I had stumbled was because he had called me back.

"Was there something you wanted before..." I gestured with my hands between us trying to convey my moment of embarrassment,

"Yeah, just this," Edward said as he walked back towards me.

He reached up with his hand and gently lifted a section of my hair that had fallen from the hair clip that I was wearing, he ran his fingers through it before putting it back into place, the heel of his hand gently skimming my cheek as he did so. I could feel the color rising along my chest to my face. It didn't escape Edward's notice either as yet another smirk crossed his lips.

"Thanks," was all I could manage to say.

"You are more than welcome," he replied before I carefully turned around and left his office.

By 4pm, I was ready to finish for the weekend. I logged off, shut down my computer, and filed away the few papers that were still lying around my desk before grabbing my coat.

"Goodbye, Edward, have a great weekend," I said as I popped my head around his office door.

He lifted his head up from the computer screen in front of him "Yeah, you too, Bella. Any special plans?"

"Actually, yes," I told him with a smile. "My friend, Angela, is having Josh overnight tomorrow so that I can have an evening out. She's not bringing him home until lunchtime on Sunday, so I'll be able to let my hair down a little."

"Sounds like a plan," he said as he laughed.

"Do you have any plans?"

"Not as yet," he sat back in his chair a little. "Although Emmett did mention something about having tickets to see some band or another that he likes, so I might just tag along and see what the fuss is about."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have fun," I smiled. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, Bella, see you on Monday."

I always enjoyed being able to leave work early on a Friday, it gave me more time to spend with Josh before he went to sleep.

"Momma," he cried as I walked through the door.

He crawled over to me like lightning. He was so fast these days that I needed a surplus amount of energy just to keep up with him.

I scooped down to pick him up. "Hey, little man, come and give your momma a big hug."

"He's been into everything this morning," Leah said as she picked the toys up off the floor and put them back into the toy chest. "He tried to insert a car into the DVD player at one point, so you might need to think about moving it out of his reach."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. "Have you been a naughty boy for Leah?" I asked him playfully, as he giggled back at me.

"Oh, and his cuddle monkey is in the laundry. He thought it would be a good idea if he shared his biscuit with him."

"What am I going to do with you?" I asked as I spun him around. "You're getting into so much trouble lately."

"Just wait until he's a teenager," Leah pointed to him. "You think he's trouble now, just wait until he discovers girls," she laughed as she took him from my arms.

I groaned at the thought of it. "Never going to happen," I told her firmly as I walked to the kitchen to grab us both a bottle of water. "I have it all planned out. He'll go to an all boys school, and when he leaves there, he'll become a monk and live in a monastery for the rest of his life."

"Good luck with that," she chuckled as she moved Josh from one hip to the other.

I handed her a bottle of water and took a meal for Josh out of the refrigerator and placed it in the microwave to heat through.

"By the way," Leah said. "Alice came by earlier. She brought you an outfit for tomorrow night and said to tell you that she's hung it in your closet, and you're not to peek at it until she arrives to... 'Work her magic'."

Leah did those irritating quotation mark gestures with her fingers.

I rolled my eyes at the thought of Alice wanting to play 'Bella Barbie'. On the plus side, at least I was pretty much guaranteed to look and feel great.

"So, do you know where you're going tomorrow night?" Leah asked as she attempted to sit Josh in his high chair, while he squirmed in her arms trying to get down to the floor.

"No, not yet, we're just going to hit up a few bars and maybe a club. It all depends on Rose and Alice I suppose. I'll just go with the flow and leave it up to them."

"Sounds like a plan," she told me finally managing to get Josh to sit down.

I stirred his chicken casserole mush meal and blew on it to cool it down to the right temperature.

"Yeah," I said as I fed Josh his first spoonful. "I'm not fussy about where we go as long as we have a good time."

Leah left about half an hour later. I spent the rest of the evening playing with Josh, bathing him and putting him to bed, before grabbing myself a bite to eat and finally succumbing to sleep at around 10:30.

The next day was pretty uneventful as per usual. I put my little man in the stroller and had a walk over to Pike Place Market to buy a few essentials.

Angela dropped by at 5pm as promised to pick up Josh.

"I've packed up his bags, there's milk, food, bottles, diapers, bum cream, bibs, toys and his bath things in this one," I told her, holding up a bag large enough to be a suitcase. "And three changes of clothes and two pairs of pj's in this one," I told her, satisfied that I hadn't forgotten anything.

"Bella, is it really necessary to have that amount of clothes? He's only staying the night, not the whole week," Angela said as she looked at the bags.

"Uh, yeah, he's a baby, Angela. He'll get dirty really quick. Plus if his diaper leaks, trust me, you'll be grateful for the extras."

Her face was a picture as she was obviously thinking about cleaning up my son and his exploding diaper.

She made three trips down to the car to load it up with Josh's bags, stroller, travel cot, and car seat while I stayed and said goodbye to my little man. It was more emotional than I expected. You would think that being a single parent, I would relish some free time to myself. So why, when I kissed him goodbye and waved them both off, did I burst into tears?

I pulled myself together, ate a roast chicken salad, and had a shower all before Alice arrived just after 6pm.

She waltzed in carrying her own outfit and a make-up case fit to rival Josh's essentials bag.

"Come on, Bella, we don't have all night!" she commanded as she walked straight past me into the bedroom.

I followed her like a good little puppy and watched her as she pulled out the chair from my dressing table.

"Sit down, we have work to do," she patted the cushioned seat.

"Alice, this isn't a military operation, you know," I told her sternly.

"Oh, please. Have you seen the dark circles underneath your eyes? This..." She said, looking at me from head to toe "is going to take longer than expected."

"Bitch, I'm not that bad."

"Bad enough," she deadpanned.

I took a seat as she pulled my hair back off my face. "We're going to have so much fun tonight. I'm on a mission to get you laid," she said mater of factly while she rummaged through the giant make-up bag.

"Don't even think it!" I warn, as she applied concealer to my dark circles.

"We'll see. You can't stay single forever and you're in dire need of a good pounding. Anyway, with the dress I've picked out for you, the men of Seattle won't stand a chance," she insisted. "I hope you haven't peeked at it. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"No, Alice. I haven't peeked. To be honest, I'd forgotten all about it. What's it like?"

"All will be revealed in good time... Now, where did I put that foundation?" she muttered to herself as she delved back into the make-up bag.

Alice spent the next 45 minutes torturing me with brushes, powders, creams, and Lord knows what else. I have to say that she had done a fantastic job as usual. Rose and Jake arrived not long afterwards, and both were carrying a bottle of wine each.

Jake poured us all a glass while Rose made a start on my hair, and Alice took herself into the bathroom to get ready.

Jake sat on the edge of the bed watching Rose as she first straightened my hair and then curled it using the curling iron. She insisted that I should wear my hair down for a change and that loose curls would look great with my outfit.

"How is it that everyone else can dress and get themselves ready, but you need help?" Jake asked me.

"Because if we left it to Bella, she would be in sweats and a t-shirt with her hair thrown up in a ponytail, no make-up, and wearing chucks," Rose told him without giving me a chance to answer.

"I'm not that bad!"

"Bella, seriously," Rose says, raising her eyebrows questioning me to prove her wrong.

Jake chuckles as he passes me my glass of wine. I give him my best 'don't start with me tonight or I'll cut your balls off' look, which soon wipes the smile off his face. He knows that he's still skating on thin ice after telling the Cullen's about my relationship with Roger.

By 8:30pm, everyone was ready. We had successfully managed to work our way through two bottles of wine, my hair and make-up were finished, and all I needed to do was to slip on my outfit.

"Ta daa." Alice sang as she pulled my dress out of the dress bag.

"Oh. My. God. Alice, I can't wear that! I need to wear underwear, not go commando!" I shrieked.

To be fair, the dress was amazing. It was one of Alice's own designs from her latest collection. It was all black, with a halter style silhouette, and a crisscross open back that meant I would have to go without a bra. The bodice was curve hugging and it had a flattering straight hemline that would only come to my upper thigh.

"Just put it on, Bella, trust me, you will look fantastic!" Alice exclaimed as she grabbed the shoes to go with it.

I took a deep breath and start to remove my dressing gown. "Jake, aren't you at least going to leave the room while I get dressed?" I asked him.

"No, honey," he said attempting to put on his best camp voice. "There's nothing going on under that gown that's going to take my fancy," he says as he delves through Alice's bag of tricks.

I slip the dress on and I have to admit that it looks just as good as Alice promised.

"Ha, found it!" Jake exclaimed. "Come here, sweetie, let's get some of this on you."

Rose and Alice started sniggering, I just looked bewildered.

"What the hell is that?"

"Tit tape," Jake said with a smile on his face, as he tore a strip off. "This will stop the girls from making an appearance every time you bend over."

"Kill me now."

They all smirked at me as Jake placed strips of tape onto my girls and patted my dress back into place.

"You are sooooo getting laid tonight," Alice said as she bounced up and down on the spot. "Shoes, don't forget the shoes," she shrieked.

I put on the shoes that she's brought me. A stunning t-bar sandal with a high metallic heel and small platform at the front with stunning Swarovski crystals all over the straps.

"Wow," all three of them cry at once. "You scrub up nice," Jake says, nodding his head in approval.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment."

We hit up a few of the bars on First Street and by 11:30, we were all at the stage where everything around us was hilarious. Rose ordered us a round of Tequila shots. We took turns licking the salt off the back of our hands before slamming back the drink and sucking the wedge of lime.

"How about we try somewhere else?" Jake asked everyone. "The night's still young. Let's parrrrrrttttyyyy," he sang.

"Yayyyyy," we all said as we raised our empty glasses and clinked them together.

"Ooo, I know just the place," Alice said while swaying on the spot.

"Come on guys, follow me," she called, as she made her way through the doors stumbling over her own feet as she went.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Twilight." She said in response, like I would automatically know what Twilight was.

"Eh, Rose, what the hell is she going on about?" I slurred slightly.

"It's a new club that opened a couple of months ago, lots of drink, lots of dancing and lots of HOT male ass," she said with a wink.

After standing in line for a good fifteen minutes freezing our asses off, the doorman finally let us in.

I was impressed. The interior was very sumptuous with deep red walls, crystal chandeliers, and black leather sofas situated near the bar. The dance floor, which was heaving with writhing bodies, was quite large, and to the left was a staircase that led to a mezzanine area reserved for VIP's only.

Alice and Rose head straight for the dance floor while Jake and I go to the bar to fetch us all drinks.

"What's ya poison, Princess?" The blonde haired, blue-eyed bartender asked.

I quickly glanced at his name tag, "Three margaritas and a Carlsberg please, Peter."

He looked at me confused that I knew his name until he realized that I had read his name tag.

"Coming right up," he said with a grin.

"He's drop-dead gorgeous," Jake said leaning into me and whispering in my ear.

"Jake, you can't go ogling other men. You already have Sam waiting at home for you."

"There's no harm in looking, Bella, I have no intention of touching," he told me with one eye brow raised, silently asking me if I had a comeback for that one... I didn't!

We grabbed the drinks and made our way over to the sofas as I quickly scanned the dance floor for Alice and Rose. Sure enough, there they were gyrating away, surrounded by men... Hussies!

Rose noticed me watching and waved me over to them. "Are you coming?" I asked Jake.

"Not just yet, I'll watch the drinks. Besides, I've just seen an old friend over there," he pointed towards the DJ area. "I'll go and catch up with him. You go and have a good time," he told me shooing me away.

It had been ages since I'd had so much fun. I let myself go and closed my eyes as the beat of the music took over me, raising my arms above my head and swaying to the music. Rose grabbed my waist and placed her leg between mine as we moved our bodies together, inciting whoops and cheers from the crowed around us. Alice joined in sandwiching me in the middle between her and Rose, shimmying our bodies down towards the ground and back up again. After around 30 minutes of bumping and grinding, we made our way back over to the sofas to take a drink. Jake was still chatting with his friend as I picked up my drink and swallowed it down in one. I was thirstier than I thought.

"Who's up for another drink?"

"I'm ok for now," Alice says, raising her glass to show me.

"I need to slow down, otherwise I'm not going to last another hour," Rose laughs as she flops down onto the sofa.

"Fine, suit yourselves. I'm going to the bar. If you change your minds, give me a yell," I call to them as I walk away.

The area around the bar was packed with people, and it didn't help matters that there appeared to be only one bartender working. Poor Peter looked worn out. I stood patiently waiting to be served.

"You look stunning tonight," the familiar velvet voice whispered from behind me. I didn't need to turn and look who it was; the goose bumps rising up on my skin told me all that I needed to know.

"Thank you, Edward," I replied before turning around to face him.

The sight of him alone took my breath away. I had only seen Edward wearing a suit before, but now here he was in front of me looking like an Adonis. He wore a pair of faded denim jeans, slung low on his hips and a plain white, short sleeve, V neck t-shirt. Such a simple outfit and yet he pulled it off as though it was a new hip trend that he had created all by himself. His crazy bed hair was all over the place, more so than normal, it didn't even look as though he had tried to tame it.

"Who's next?" Peter shouted from behind the bar. I lifted up my money to wave at him.

"I'll get this," Edward insisted. "Just the usual Peter and a..."

"Margarita please," I told him.

"Yeah, the usual and a margarita for the lady."

"Thank you," I told him as Peter placed the drinks on the bar.

"I thought you were off seeing a band tonight?" I asked him curiously.

"We did, we just made our way back here afterwards. How about we go and sit somewhere a little less busy?"

"Um, actually, my friends will be wondering where I've gone to. I should really get back to them."

"Lead the way," he grinned, placing his hand on my bare lower back. That familiar feeling travelled throughout my body at the feel of his touch. I had to almost force my legs to move in the direction that I wanted. I wasn't sure if that was due to the amount that I had drunk or because of Edward's touch. Although I had a funny feeling that it was down to the latter.

"I was beginning to wonder where you had gotten to," Rose called as I made my way over.

"The bar area was packed, and then I bumped into Edward," I told her, with a 'keep your mouths shut' glance.

"Edward? As in your boss?"

"Yes, Rose, my BOSS!" I said, again hoping that she would get the message.

A huge smile spread across her face as she looked him up and down.

"Hi, Edward, I'm Rose, one of Bella's best friends," she told him casually.

"Hi, Rose, nice to meet you," he shook her hand and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

Jake made his way over to us. "Hey, Edward. Great to see you again."

"Yeah, you too, Jake," Edward replied, as they did that strange one armed hug with a pat on the back that only men seem to do.

"I wouldn't have thought this place would be your scene," Jake sounded surprised to see him.

"Actually, I come here quite often. I might be a stuffy suit by day, but by night I like to have a good time," he shrugged, smiling.

I took a sip of my margarita and almost choked as I felt Edward place his arm once again on my lower back. This time, however, I could feel him making a sweeping motion, backwards and forwards across my overheated skin.

I looked up at his face to find that his eyes were watching my every movement.

"Um, where's Alice?" I asked looking around, my voice giving away my nerves.

"I'm right here," she said as she walked around us and took a seat. "Needed the little girl's room," she mouthed at me.

"Edward, I'd like you to meet my other good friend, Alice." He held out his hand for her to shake.

"Edward? As in your boss Edward?"

Not this again!

"Yes, Alice, my boss."

"Oh. My. God." She screeched, jumping out of her seat. "You're Jazz's brother...It's so good to meet you, I'm Alice, I'm dating him." She told him excitedly, ignoring his outstretched hand and throwing her arms around his neck instead.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I turned to Edward and mouthed "don't worry, you'll get used to her."

Once Edward recovered from the shock of having his brother's girlfriend throw herself at him, literally, he started to laugh, his whole face lighting up as he did so.

"Actually, I'm here with him tonight. He should be somewhere up there with my other brother, Emmett," he said pointing up towards the mezzanine area.

Alice, being Alice, bounced up and down on the spot clapping her hands together at a hundred miles an hour... "Oh, I have to go and find him, thanks, Edward," and with that she was gone... no goodbye's, nothing.

I looked up at Edward as we both burst into fits of laughter. "She's... "

I interrupted him..."Different?" I offer, still laughing.

"She's certainly that," he agreed.

"Come and dance with me, Bella," he said still smiling as his fingers left my back and took a hold of my hand instead.

I looked into his eyes and nodded as he began to lead me to the dance floor. I turned my head over my shoulder and winked at Rose and Jake as we walked away. I was met in return by a wolf whistle from Jake and a fist pump from Rose... So immature!

Edward led me to the crowded dance floor, still holding my hand he twirled me around before wrapping one arm around my waist and the other around my upper back pulling my body against his own. I instinctively ran my hands up his chest and they came to rest on his shoulders as we began to gently sway to the music.

I could feel his fingers on my back gently start to play with the ends of my hair as Edward pulled my body even closer to him. My head automatically came to rest on his chest and I could smell him, a mixture of soap and musk. It was intoxicating, and I wanted to stay in his arms like this forever.

"Do you have any idea just how beautiful you look tonight?" Edward asked quietly as his hands moved slightly so that he could run them through my hair.

I couldn't respond, instead all I could do was shake my head.

"You are the most stunning woman in this room and you don't even know it," he sighed. "You know, I've never seen you with your hair down before," he told me as he lowered his head and skimmed his nose lightly along my cheekbone. "You should wear it down more often."He moved his hand to cradle the back of my head.

"Look at me, Bella," he almost commanded.

I lifted my cheek from his chest and looked him in the eyes. At that moment all I could feel was a burning need to have him consume every part of me. I wanted him, I desired him, but above all else, I needed him.

"Do you have any idea of what you do to me, Bella?"

"No," I shake my head, still looking him in the eyes.

"You drive me mad. I've fought with myself for weeks thinking that you were in a relationship with Jake, and knowing that I had to leave you alone. I'm no homewrecker, so when I found out that Jake was just a friend, I knew then that I needed to tell you how I felt. I know that you're seeing someone else, and I don't know how serious you two are… but he's not the father of your son and you're not living together, so I decided to lay my cards on the table and tell you how I felt."

I felt him sigh with relief as though he'd finally said what he had been dwelling on for a long time.

"Edward, I'm not seeing anyone else," I told him truthfully.

"But Jake said that you had been seeing someone called Roger for quite a while."

I tore my eyes away from his and I found myself going beet red as I bit my bottom lip. I wondered what the hell I was going to tell Edward about Roger. It certainly wasn't going to be the truth although I didn't want to lie.

"No, that was Jake just trying to wind me up. It wasn't true. I'm single and have been for quite a while," I tell him.

See, that was honest without telling him the whole truth.

"Bella, look at me."

I raised my eyes and looked straight into his, it felt as though we were both searching for something but not knowing what.

I felt Edward's hands gently cup my face lifting it slightly. He rubbed the tip of his thumb over my lips before delicately pulling on my bottom lip to part it slightly. He gasped a sharp intake of breath as he did so. His eyes darted back to mine and held my gaze as slowly he licked his lips and gradually lowered them to mine.

"No, Edward, don't!" I told him, squeezing my eyes closed.

"I...I'm sorry, I thought you wanted this as well," he told me taking a small step backwards.

"It doesn't matter what I want, Edward, I might not be seeing anyone but you are! You said that you're no home wrecker, well, neither am I," I told him truthfully even though it was killing me.

His brows furrowed before my words finally registered with him.

"Bella, I'm not seeing anyone either. I broke up with Lauren the night you walked in on us."

"Seriously?" I asked.

He nodded his head and gave me his best panty-dropping smile.

"So you're single?"

"Yes, Bella, I'm single," he sounded amused.

"You're telling me the truth?" I questioned.

"Yup," he popped the p as he said it, "I'm telling the truth." He looked me in the eye and I knew he wasn't lying.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my hands around his neck, threading my fingers through his bed hair.

"Bella?"

"Shhh, Edward... Just kiss me."

His crashed his lips to mine, smooth, soft and yet firm. We gently moved them together before Edward claimed my top lip and sucked on it expertly as his hands wrapped themselves in my hair. I licked his lips before demanding access to his mouth which he granted immediately. Our tongues fought for dominance with no clear winner. We couldn't get enough of one another. Our lips finally broke apart as we came up for air.

"Thank fuck for that!" I heard Rose say, before she and Jake broke into a round of applause. I looked up at Edward and he laughed as he kissed the top of my head while snaking his arms around me.

"Hmm, Edward, we're actually in the middle of the dance floor," I looked around while blushing my deepest shade of red to date.

"Well, then, let's show em how it's done," he winked at me as he started to grind his body against mine to the beat of the music. I laughed as his eyes rolled to the back of his head as I worked my way down his body gyrating as I went.

Rose and Jake were dancing along side us laughing as they watched our full PDA-style dancing played out in front of everyone. I wasn't laughing anymore when Edward's hands slowly slipped down my ribs before travelling down my outer thighs and back up again, taking me by surprise when he suddenly grabbed my backside with both hands and pulling me to him hard.

That wasn't the only thing that was hard as I felt Edward's very prominent erection pressing into my stomach.

"Can you feel the effect you have on me, Bella?" he whispered in my ear.

"God yes."

"Just knowing the fact that you're not wearing a bra does this to me... It makes me wonder if there's anything else that you're not wearing," he whispers, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I laugh and playfully slap him on the arm.

"Come on, big boy, let's go get a drink," I laugh and take his hand to lead him off the dance floor.

An hour later and Edward and I are sitting on the sofas with Jake and Rose, swapping funny stories about life growing up.

"There you are!" Emmett's booming voice calls. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Well, I've been sitting here for the last hour," Edward tells him.

"Err, what's all this?" Emmett asks while wearing a shit eating grin, gesturing to mine and Edward's hands that are entwined in my lap.

"What does it look like?" Edward told him... "Let's just say that Bella and I came to our senses."

He leaned over to me and gave me a lingering peck on the lips. I couldn't help but smile at him and lay my head onto his shoulder.

"Hey, good to see you again, buddy," Emmett booms giving Jake a high five.

"Yeah, good to see you too," Jake replied. "Grab a seat and join us."

"Err, is anyone going to actually introduce us?" Rose sounded mightily pissed off.

"Sorry," I say, "this is Edwards's brother, Emmett, and this is one of my best friends, Rose."

"Nice to meet you," they both shook hands. "You look awfully familiar," Rose tells him.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same about you. Have we met before?" Emmett asks.

"Not that I can recall," Rose says. "Maybe we've met in passing at some point."

"Yeah, that's probably it," Emmett agrees as they sit beside one another and immediately throw themselves into conversation.

"Hey, has anyone seen Alice?" I ask suddenly concerned.

"Yeah, I've been with her half the night. She's in the VIP area with Jasper playing tonsil tennis," Emmett pretended to stick his fingers down his throat. "She's a feisty little thing, isn't she?"

Rose, Jake, and I all doubled over in fits of laughter while Edward just looked at us bewildered. He had yet to meet Alice properly and once he did, he'd understand!

"So," Edward said, nipping at my ear lightly with his teeth, "are you going to let me take you home? Or is that being a little too presumptuous?" He took my lobe into his mouth and sucked it.

"Ugh," was all I could say as I attempted to gather my thoughts. This man had me falling apart at the seams with just a few short words.

"Hi, Guys!" Alice screeched and brought me back down to earth before I had a chance to answer him.

"I was wondering where you were gone to," I told her.

"I've been with Jazzy all night. He's been taking really good care of me," she smirked.

Suddenly I understood Emmett's fingers down the throat actions.

"Jazz," she screeched. "Come and meet my friends." Jasper was on his way back from the bar with another drink for Alice, which she promptly took from him and downed it all at once.

"Jasper, I'd like you to meet my best friends in the whole wide world," she beamed at him. "This" she said, "is Jake," as she did some over-dramatic hand gestures towards him. Jake and Jasper shook hands and said hello. "And these," she said pointing towards Rose and myself, "are my BFF's 1 and 2, Rose and Bella."

"Hi," Rose and I both said in unison, giving Jasper a little hand wave, basically, because neither of us could be bothered to stand up to greet him. Drink does tend to have that effect on you!

"Hi," he said, looking curiously between Rose and me.

"I remember you," he said pointing at us, with a huge smile on his face... "You were two of the girls who partied with us in Vegas!"

**A/N So, the truth is out. How do you think Bella and Edward will react to the news? **


	12. Chapter 12

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 12**

My chest was tight, I couldn't breathe. I looked up at Edward, and he wore the same bewildered look on his face that I'm sure I did. I looked into his eyes as realization struck me. They were Josh's eyes. The exact same shape with the slightly slanted tear duct and the color wasn't just the same, it was identical.

How could I have not seen it before? Yes, Josh looked like me, but the eyes alone should have been a dead give away. He had Edward's hair too, not exactly the same color but near enough. Josh's coloring is a little darker, making his hair more of an auburn coloring whereas Edward's is more bronze. They both have that crazy just-got-out-of-bed look to it, which can't be tamed no matter how hard you try.

I look around at my friends, Alice, Rose, and Jake, all had the same open mouthed, shocked expression on their faces. Jasper and Emmett just looked confused as to what was happening, and Edward was still looking at me bewildered.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and one escaped down my cheek. I didn't even have the strength in me to wipe it away. My lungs felt as though they had stopped working. I just couldn't catch my breath as a wave of nausea overtook me. I needed air.

I let go of Edward's hand and pushed it away, my legs felt like jello as I stood and ran for the door. Voices called after me but I couldn't hear what was being said. Everything around me felt as though it was happening in slow motion. I somehow found myself outside doubled over on the sidewalk gasping for breath. I needed to get away. Several cabs were lined up down the street waiting for the club to turn out, and I somehow found my way inside one and gave the driver my address.

The apartment felt cold and lonely as I walked through the door and removed my shoes. Despite the large amount of alcohol that I'd drank, I felt instantly sober as I made my way to the bedroom. I slipped out of my dress and into my favourite pair of brushed cotton Eeyore pajamas, which my dad had bought me for mother's day as a present from Josh.

Silent tears were still falling down my face as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed myself a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Breaking the seal, I took a large gulp and pulled out a chair at the table scraping the legs across the floor as I did so. I flopped down placing my head in my hands and let out an uncontrollable sob that just kept coming and coming.

What had I done? Out of all the people in the entire world, my child's father turns out to be my boss. My boss who blows hot and cold with me and who only a short time ago was grinding his erection into my stomach while I willingly let him. What are the chances of that? A million to one maybe!

I was still sobbing into my hands when I felt gentle soothing circles being drawn onto my back.

"It's ok, Bella, I'm here," I heard Alice coo to me like I was a small child. I hadn't even heard her opening the door. She pulled my head onto her shoulder and cradled me as tear after tear fell down my cheeks and onto her dress.

"What. Have. I. Done?" I asked her between sobs.

"Let's not talk about this now," she said gently. "Jasper, why don't you go and make us all a nice warm drink while I take Bella into the bathroom to get cleaned up."

"Jasper's here?" I said just above a whisper.

"Edward as well, he's worried about you Bella, we all are," she explained.

I lift my head slightly to see Edward standing at the opposite end of the table looking as white as a sheet. He offered me a small smile, but didn't say anything. I buried my head into the crook of Alice's neck and choked out another sob.

"Come on," she said while continuing to make small circles on my back with her hands. "Let's get you into the bathroom and wipe that face."

I stood on my still shaky legs, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hands as Alice placed her fingers on my lower back and guided me towards the bathroom. Every step felt a mile long as I finally entered the bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat lid.

Alice closed and locked the door behind her and turned on the faucet before kneeling on the floor in front of me.

"Listen," she said quietly while reaching over and wetting a washcloth. "You have to pull yourself together. Jasper and Edward are both out there wondering what the hell happened. Rose and I have done some damage control, but we need to get things straight. We couldn't and wouldn't tell him the truth, Bella, that needs to come from you."

"Oh, God, Alice. What am I going to do? How on earth do I tell him that about Josh?" I cry as she makes delicate swipes underneath my eyes with the washcloth.

"I've no idea, but you both need to sit down and talk. I won't say anything to Jasper about Josh," she tells me, "but I won't lie to him either, Bella. If he puts two and two together and asks me outright, I will have to tell him the truth."

I nod in understanding, "I wouldn't expect anyone to lie for me, Alice."

"I know that," she smiles "but Jasper has a right to know too. He's Josh's uncle and deserves a chance to get to know him."

"I understand that. I just need a little time to get my head around this whole mess and work out just how to tell Edward," I tell her as the tears finally start to dry up. "How do you think he'll react?"

"I've truthfully no idea, I don't know him at all. I've only just met him, so I think you would be a better judge of that."

"He blows hot and cold all the time, I genuinely have no idea how he'll take it... what am I going to do, Alice?"

"Well, the both of you looked very cozy tonight," she offered. "Maybe you shouldn't just blurt it out; it would be too much of a shock. Spend some time getting to know one another before dropping the bombshell, although I wouldn't leave it too long because these things have a habit of coming back to bite you on the ass."

"Yeah, you're right," I told her as I stood to splash water on my face and run fingers through my hair in an attempt to smooth it out. "I think it was a shock to everyone tonight, Edward included. Who knows what he's already thinks about the whole Vegas thing. I bet he thinks that I'm such a whore, sleeping around with a complete stranger."

"Well, he'd be a hypocrite if he did think that," she told me as she passed me a hand towel to dry my face. "He did the same thing after all."

She did have a point, and even if Vegas were a huge mistake, I would never regret it. Without it, I wouldn't have my little man. I needed to pull myself together. Getting to know Edward first would be the best thing to do, that's if he still wanted anything to do with me. Once we knew each other better, it would give me a better insight into his reaction and I could plan the best way to hit him with the truth.

Once my plan was formulated, I started to feel a little better.

"How do I look?" I asked Alice.

"Truthfully?"

"Yes."

"Like death warmed over," she replied with a small smile.

"Gee, Alice, thanks for making me feel better."

"That's what friends are for."

"Speaking of friends, what happened to Rose and Jake?"

"They stayed behind at the club with Emmett. We thought it would be best as part of operation damage control," she explained. "If everyone was overly concerned, it would have looked odd. As it stands now, Edward will probably just think that you had too much to drink and freaked out when you discovered that he was your mystery man from Vegas."

"Thank you," I said, as I threw my arms around her. "I don't know what I'd do without you all."

"You're welcome," she smiled at me through the mirror as she turned to reapply her lipstick, "but you know something, Bella?"

"What?"

"I really wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't tell you just how God damn awful those pajamas are!"

She made me laugh, and I think that was her intention. After all, the Eeyore PJ's were kinda cool. Well, I thought they were anyway!

I checked myself in the mirror after composing myself, "How do I look now?"

"Well, apart from the puffy eyes, no make up, and those hideous pajamas, you look great."

"Thanks, Alice."

"You're welcome. Come on, take a deep breath and let's go and face your baby's daddy."

I slowly made my way back to the kitchen, a million and one different thoughts running through my mind. What was I going to say to Edward? What was Edward going to say to me? How would he react to the news that we were together in Vegas? Does he think I'm a whore?

He sat at the dining table with Jasper directly opposite. Both were leaning forward with elbows on the table talking with each other in hushed tones, their hands wrapped around hot steaming mugs of what smelled like hot chocolate.

Alice pulled out a chair next to Jasper as he gave her a small smile and pushed a mug of chocolate towards her. He did the same for me as I took a seat at the end of the table with both Edward and Jasper on either side of me.

"How are you feeling?" Jasper asked me with concern.

"I'm ok, thanks, I owe everyone an apology. I'm sorry for the way that I reacted, but the news came as quite a shock. It was the last thing I ever expected to hear."

I looked towards Edward his head was hanging low as he stared into his mug of chocolate. He still hadn't spoken a word to me, and it was obvious that he was mulling over the situation.

You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Alice and Jasper kept looking between Edward and I, each expectantly waiting for something to be said... Nothing was!

Edward nodded his head in response to my apology, but still didn't look up from his mug.

"Um, maybe we should get going," Alice says to Jasper as she gives him a not so subtle nudge in the ribs.

"Err, yeah. Is that the time already?" he replies looking really uncomfortable. "I guess we'll be off and leave you two to chat."

Edward and I say nothing to them, and they both let out a sigh of relief as they left the table and made their way out of the door.

"Well, that was uncomfortable," I commented as a way of breaking the ice.

"Yeah, well," he says. "Tonight has certainly been..."

"Different?" I offer with a raised brow.

"I was going to say interesting, but different works just as well," he lightly chuckles with a half smile.

We sat in silence for what felt like hours, but realistically were more like minutes. I ran my fingertip repeatedly around the rim of my mug as I looked up to see Edward doing the same.

"Did you know?" he asked me outright.

"Obviously not, judging by my reaction," I told him calmly. "Did you?"

"No, sorry."

"Out of all the people in the entire world, it had to be you," I muttered more to myself than to Edward.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," I told him shaking my head. "I was just thinking aloud."

He nodded his head in understanding and we sat in silence once again, not knowing what to say to one another.

"Do you remember anything about that night?" I asked him after a while.

"Not really, just vague bits," he told me gently. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

"I remember your eyes," he offered as we looked at one another.

"That's strange, because that's the only thing I really remember about you," I told him truthfully.

"The only thing eh?" he asked waggling his eyebrows.

I started laughing and he did too, helping to clear a lot of the tension in the air. We both relaxed slightly.

"Why did you leave?" he asked suddenly, out of nowhere.

"I didn't want the girls to be worried about me. It's not as though I make a habit of things like that... you know, sleeping with strangers. It's very out of character for me, believe it or not."

He didn't answer me; instead he just picked up his mug and took another drink of chocolate.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked as he placed the mug back down onto the table.

"What do you mean?"

"We were getting to know one another pretty well earlier, don't you think?" He looked me straight in the eye.

"What do YOU think, Edward?" I retorted.

"Good comeback, Bella," he laughed. "Maybe we should just take each day as it comes and see what happens. I like you. I know that you have a lot of baggage but..."

"BAGGAGE?" I shout, clearly upset as I rise from my seat. "MY SON is not baggage."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to refer to him like that. Please accept my apology."

He looked genuinely ashamed of his words as I took a deep breath and sat back down in my chair.

"My son is the best thing that has ever happened to me, Edward, and I will do whatever I have to in order to make his life happy. Anyone who enters my life enters his as well, and if you can't accept that, then I think this little discussion is over," I tell him forcefully.

He sat and contemplated my words.

"Have you finished with that?" he asked, indicating to my mug. I nodded my head and he took it from me before walking over to the sink and washing them up. He placed them both on the dish drainer before turning around to face me, leaning back against the counter top he crossed his legs at the ankle.

"Have lunch with me tomorrow? Or today even, we still have things to talk about and it's far too late now," he said as he looked at his watch.

"I can't," I replied. "Angela is bringing Josh back at lunchtime. I should spend some time with him."

"Ok, well, I should probably be going," he said looking down at his feet.

"Edward, its four o'clock in the morning. Why don't you just stay here with me?"

His looked at me questioningly as my words suddenly dawned on me.

"I didn't mean stay here WITH me. I meant stay here on the sofa in the living room," I babbled.

He laughed lightly.

"Thanks, Bella, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like that very much."

"It's no trouble, Edward, honestly," I stood and made my way to the closet to get a pillow and some clean linen.

I quickly made the sofa into a makeshift bed, "Here you go," I said. As I turned around, I see Edward looking at the photograph that I had taken in the park of Josh attempting to feed the ducks. I had printed it out and it now sat framed on my entertainment unit.

'_Please don't see the resemblance, please don't see the resemblance_' I inwardly chanted to myself. I wasn't ready to face that milestone just yet, I needed time.

Slowly Edward placed the photograph back where he had found it and turned to me, "Thank you" he said, indicating to the sofa. "Can I use the bathroom?"

"Of course, there's a new toothbrush and fresh towels in the cupboard underneath the sink. Help yourself to whatever you need."

"Thanks," he stepped towards me. He looked into my eyes before lowering his head and placing his lips gently upon mine. My heart raced as he pulled away and looked at me for a moment.

"Goodnight, Bella," he said as he walked away towards the bathroom.

"Goodnight, Edward," I whispered in return.

**So, Bella needs time to think things through. Is she doing the right thing? Something tells me that she's making a huge mistake! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review, it really does make my day. Thanks again to TwiMoments, jamieloveschad, leaf_chick and Catastrophia who has been pimping this story out like there's no tomorrow. Next update will be Wednesday. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**I would like to thank everyone for your support while reading Mask Of Indifference. I have had such an extraordinary response to this story and I am truly am overwhelmed and humbled. My intention was to reply to each and every review, however, due to the immense response, I have had especially over the last few days, I'm finding it very difficult to do so at this time. Please know that your support means the world to me, and I hope you have no doubt that I really do appreciate all of you for not only reading this story, but all your wonderful reviews and comments. **

**There are twists and turns throughout the whole story and I would really love for you all to stick around and enjoy the ride. Some of it won't be pretty and you may dislike what both Edward and Bella do at times, but I do promise that it will all come together in the end. **

**THE GOOD NEWS:**

**Mask Of Indifference has been nominated as fic of the week over at the lemonade stand. I am truly honoured, especially as this story is the first one that I have ever written. The encouragement from you all means so much, and I would appreciate it if you could head on over there and cast us your vote. There are only two days left! **

**Many thanks and happy reading.**

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 13**

I closed the bedroom door quietly and leaned my back against it. Letting out a deep sigh, I ran my fingers over my face and through my hair. I suddenly felt so tired and emotionally drained. My eyes were puffy from all the crying that I had done earlier and my stomach hurt from a lack of food and too much alcohol. I climbed into bed and tried to process all that had happened. Edward and I needed to sit down and talk, he knew it too. I think he was equally shocked when he found out about the happenings in Vegas, although to give him credit, he didn't run away. He was still here, in my bathroom...Naked!

I inwardly groaned at the thought of Edward, naked in my bathroom. I could hear the shower running and images of Edward soaping himself up ran through my mind. My girly parts started to tingle and I mentally chastised myself. I shouldn't be thinking of his body and what he could do with it when I had the biggest problem of my life to face up to at this very moment.

I walked over to my bed, pulled back the covers and climbed in. My mind was still whirling at around one hundred miles per hour. Edward was obviously okay with staying the night here, maybe he'll be okay with the whole Vegas thing too. After all, he did say we should take things slow, one day at a time. Maybe after a while when we've both become used to the idea of what happened in Vegas, I could introduce him to Josh. I know that they've met before, but surely it would help if they got to know one another properly for a few weeks before dropping the bombshell on Edward.

I heard the shower switch off, and a while later he left the bathroom and made his way back to the living room. Just the knowledge that he was here with me made me feel warm and strangely comforted. I turned over and looked at my alarm clock, it was almost 5am. I really needed to get some sleep before Angela brought Josh home. I closed my eyes and was surprised when sleep started to claim me almost instantly.

I rolled over and pried open my right eye, 9:30am was the time showing on the alarm clock. Urgh! My mouth felt as though I'd been licking Ghandi's flip flops all night long. I needed to drink water and brush my teeth. Throwing back the covers, I slid my aching body out of bed and made my way across the hall to the bathroom. I quietly closed the door behind me and locked it before turning on the shower, adjusting the temperature. I let it run a while in order for it to heat up, and I quickly stripped out of my pajamas and tested the water with my hand before stepping in. It was bliss. The hot water soothed my aching muscles as I felt the tension leave my body.

I poured a large amount of my favorite apple scented shampoo into the palm of my hand before working it into a lather through my hair, rinsing it out, and doing the same with the matching scented conditioner.

Half an hour later, I left the bathroom feeling clean and fresh, which was quite a surprise considering last night's events and the amount of alcohol I'd managed to pour down my throat. I quietly slipped back into my bedroom and rummaged through the dresser for something to wear. I wanted comfort, so opted for a white undershirt and a pair of khaki shorts. I like being barefoot when I'm home, so I didn't bother slipping into any shoes. I didn't bother drying my hair either, instead I just towel dried it, brushed it straight and left it to dry naturally.

Quietly I made my way into the living room, not wanting to disturb Edward if he was still asleep. My breath hitched when I saw him sprawled out on my sofa face down with one arm underneath his pillow and the other arm hanging over the edge of the cushion. The white bed sheet was draped gently over his body but had slipped down to reveal the taut muscles of his back and three cute moles that I was itching to run my fingers over. God, the man was beautiful. I was getting moist down below just by standing here watching him like some kind of perverted weirdo. I figured that the best thing to do would be to start some coffee and make breakfast. At least by doing that, when Edward did wake up, at least he wouldn't find me hovering over him like a freak.

I tip-toed my way across to the kitchen and quietly placed the coffee into the machine before adding the water and switching it on. I made quick work of the pancake batter, mixing all the dry ingredients into one bowl and all of the wet into another before combining the two and whisking into a smooth batter. I began frying off the pancakes two at a time and then placed them into the oven to keep warm. Heating up the griddle pan, I added the bacon whilst whisking up the eggs ready for scrambling. When everything was ready, I covered them in aluminium foil and placed them in the oven along with the pancakes to keep warm.

Gathering up all the used pots and pans I placed them in the dishwasher before adding a detergent tablet, deciding against switching it on until after we had finished eating.

"Something smells good in here!"

I jumped with a start and accidently slammed the dishwasher door closed as Edward sneaked one hand around my waist from behind and moved my still wet hair away from my shoulder with the other.

"I wasn't just talking about the food either," he whispered as he nuzzled his face into my neck.

"You scared me," I said letting out a quiet moan as he started placing light kisses up and along my neck and jaw line before spinning me around to face him.

I gasped as I took in the sight before me, Edward was standing barefoot wearing nothing but jeans which were slung low on his hips. A shirtless Edward was definitely a sight worth waking up for in a morning.

"See something you like?" he asked with a smirk, as he noticed me checking him out.

I blushed and bit my bottom lip. "Yes," I said in embarrassment right before Edward closed the gap between us and bent his head towards me.

"So do I," he told me as he placed his lips upon mine.

Soft velvet lips that gently parted as he took my top lip between his, I responded immediately and took a hold of his bottom lip and delicately ran my tongue along it. He groaned into my mouth as he pulled me flush against his body, one hand firmly placed on my upper back and the other wrapped in the hair at the back of my head.

I worked my hands slowly up his torso, the muscles of his stomach clenching as my fingertips lightly brushed against his happy trail. His nipples pebbled when my hands skimmed firmly over them as I made my way up to his muscular shoulders, before plunging them into the hair at the nape of his neck.

The kiss intensified as Edward begged my mouth for entrance with his tongue, which I gladly accepted. Our lips moving passionately as our tongues danced together.

He moved his hand from my back and slid it down to my right butt cheek firmly kneading it as the tips of his incredibly long fingers started to make their way underneath the hem of my shorts.

I groan loudly into his mouth as I feel his fingertips trace where the back of my thigh meets my butt cheek.

"Bella," he said gasping as he pulled his mouth reluctantly away, resting his forehead against mine, our eyes locking. "We should stop."

"I know," I told him reluctantly, my hands leaving his hair and falling to my sides.

"But, I really don't want to," the look in his eyes confirming his words, as his hand snaked up and played with the hem of my undershirt.

"Me neither," I replied.

"It's not like we haven't done this before," he smiled.

I couldn't help myself. I crashed my lips to his once again reclaiming the softness and eagerness that they showed me. Edward ran his hands up my sides skimming my breasts as he did so, until he reached my shoulders. He turned me slightly so that my back was pressing against the refrigerator.

I felt my wetness starting to seep through to my shorts. I didn't just want him, I needed him. I rubbed my thighs together giving me the friction that I craved. He looked me in the eye and smirked.

"Be patient."

I could only nod my head in response. The one thing I remembered about Vegas was the Edward had been a gentle lover, but now looking in his eyes, all I could see was lust.

Pure animalistic lust. A look that I knew I shared with him.

He toyed with the hem of my shirt, lifting it slightly. His fingers grabbed my waist as he pulled me closer to him. His mouth trailing hot kisses from my mouth and down my throat.

"This needs to go," he murmured as his hands left my waist and lifted my shirt above my head and over my arms.

I needed to touch him. I moved my hands to his shoulders so that I could feel the firm muscles of the man I wanted so badly.

"Edward, I need to feel you," I almost cried in frustration as I felt his erection pushing against my hip.

"Oh, don't worry, Bella, you'll feel me alright... Every...Single...Part of me," he said as he bit gently into my collarbone.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head at the sensation that it brought, Edward brought his hands behind my back and expertly unfastened the clasp of my bra before lifting it over my arms.

"So beautiful," he said to himself as he took a step backwards and looked at me. I didn't feel shy or embarrassed, all I could feel was how wonderful and how right this all was.

He closed the gap between us and took both of my breasts in each of his hands kneading them expertly, circling his thumbs around my now erect nipples. I threw my head backwards against the cold metal of the refrigerator as he bent slightly and took my right nipple into his hot mouth, eagerly licking and biting down on it whilst rubbing the left one between his fingertips.

I could feel a familiar tingling sensation starting to build and my breathing got heavier.

"Not yet, Bella," Edward told me as his mouth left my breast, "not until I say so."

I groaned loudly as his words sunk in. "I need you, Edward, please."

He stood up straight and looked at me. His eyes had turned the darkest shade of green. His passion was evident, and I knew he wanted this just as much as I did.

He placed his hands firmly around my waist and lifted me off of the ground. My arms instinctively threw themselves around his neck in order to steady myself.

"Wrap your legs around me, Bella,"

I did just that and I could feel the buckle of his belt digging into my ass. I couldn't be bothered to care as Edward simply said three words that had my juices flowing like a waterfall.

"Where's your bedroom?"

"Um, opposite the bathroom," was all I could manage to say, my mouth was too busy being occupied with licking and sucking on his neck.

I felt the soft mattress underneath my back as Edward placed me down gently. "Move backwards," he said as he climbed on after me. I happily obliged as he crawled down to my waist undoing the button and zipper on my shorts. His breathing grew heavy as he hooked his long fingers into the waistband and pulled them away from my body.

Sitting back on his heels he in drank in the sight of me laid before him, naked apart from my white lace boy shorts.

"Perfect," was all he could say as he traced the line of my shorts from hip to hip with a feather light touch from his long and flexible fingers.

He scooted backward as his hands travelled down my thighs, massaging as they went until they found the back of my knees which he bent upwards, so that the soles of my feet were flat on the mattress. He parted my legs and settled in between themas his fingers ran patterns over the lace of my shorts.

I was writhing with need and want; my breaths were heavy almost to the point of panting. "Edward, I need you," was all I manage to say.

"What do you need, Bella, is it this?" he asked as he ran his fingers down the edge of my shorts to my inner thigh.

"Or this?" he said as he pushed the lace aside and ran his fingers over my dripping folds.

"Or this?" he questioned as he plunged his mouth onto me, where his fingers had just been.

"Yes, Yes!" I cried at the overwhelming feeling of his mouth upon me, placing open-mouthed kisses on my sex as his fingers found my clit and began teasing circles around it rather than on it.

I tried to writhe around, but Edward held his other hand flat against my stomach to keep me still as he plunged his tongue inside of me while firmly pinching my bundle of nerves. I exploded immediately into the most intense orgasm of my life as I came hard onto his tongue. He continued to lap up my juices and began rubbing my clit again, sending me straight into a second orgasm. As I came down from my high, Edward sat up and removed my shorts from my still shaking body.

"God, Bella, that was amazing," he said as he lay down beside me, stroking my face and kissing me gently until I'd regained my composure.

"Ugh, ugh," was all I could muster in response as I looked into his eyes and grinned.

He crawled on top of me and kissed me passionately as I ran my hands up and down his back. I could taste myself on his lips; it was the single most erotic experience of my life. His hand reached up and he tickled my nipple with his fingertips until it was standing erect begging for attention once again. I wanted him inside of me, the need was overwhelming and I wanted him now!

I reached underneath him and unfastened the buckle of his belt, he lifted his weight slightly to give me better access to the buttons on his jeans as he moved his head down to once again claim my nipple with his mouth.

I struggled with the buttons in my eagerness to remove them. I felt Edward chuckle against my breast as his hands took charge by not only undoing his jeans, but removing them as well. He was left clad only in a pair of tight black boxers. My girly parts started to tingle again just by the sight of him. I lifted my legs and hooked my toes into the band and gradually started to slide them downwards over his hips, his heavy cock springing free and landing on my stomach as I did so. We both let out a deep moan at the contact. Making quick work of shedding Edward's boxers from his body, I reached down to take his length in my hand.

"Oh, God," we both cried at the feel. Edward's eyes closed as I wrapped my hand around his very impressive length and stroked him several times from base to tip using his seeping pre-cum as lubricant. His lips crashed to mine as his hips made involuntary thrusts into my eager hands.

"I need to be inside you, Bella," he groaned into my mouth.

"I need it too, Edward... Now," I cried out, unable to hold back any longer.

I felt an instant loss as he broke our kiss and lifted himself away from my body. The cool air around us brought goose bumps to my overheated skin, and as if it was even possible, my nipples pebbled even more.

Edward reached to the floor to take his wallet from his jeans. "Condom," was all he managed to say.

I smiled at him as he sat on his knees positioned between my legs and took his cock in his own hand, he ripped the condom from the wrapper and looking me straight in the eye he began stroking himself slowly over and over. I couldn't take it any longer, I could feel the familiar tingling of a building orgasm and reached down between my legs to give myself some much needed relief. Edward stopped stroking himself and grabbed my wrists. "You won't need to be doing that, Bella," he said as he removed my hands placing them on the pillow beside my head and I gripped it tight.

He sat back and rolled on the condom, stroking himself once more before climbing back on top of me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked as he ran the stubble of his jaw along my cheek.

"I've never been more certain about anything," I told him with lust in my voice as I looked into his eyes.

He reached down between us and grabbed the base of his cock, running the tip up and down my dripping folds.

One long hard thrust and he was inside me. I threw back my head and arched my back as we both cried out.

"You feel so good," I told him as he let me adjust to the size of him.

He kissed me with passion before starting to move inside of me, slowly at first but soon increasing his pace. I raised my legs and wrapped them around his waist, meeting his every thrust with my own.

A thin film of sweat covered both our bodies as we moaned and panted with every breath. Edward licked and suckled at my breast while I clung on to the pillow for dear life. He shifted his weight so that he was straddling me and moved my legs up to rest on his shoulders. His hands gripped my waist to give him extra leverage as he pounded into me with every thrust.

"I'm so close, Bella, I need you to come for me," he said, reaching down and rubbing frantic circles on my clit. I could feel my body responding to every rub and thrust.

"God... Edward...I'm... God... Eddddwarrrrdddd," I screamed as my body shook and convulsed with the most incredible orgasm.

"FUUUUCK," he shouted as he thrust into me HARD, before stilling and throwing his head backward as my orgasm milked him dry. We both panted with exhaustion as he gently lowered my legs before collapsing his weight on top of me.

We kissed gently and I ran my hands through his hair.

"That was amazing," I told him, still panting for breath.

"It was better than amazing," he replied, giving me a smile a wink as he rolled off of me and removed the condom before climbing back on to the bed and pulling me to his chest.

I ran my fingers through the smattering of hair on his chest as he rubbed small gentle circles on my back.

"I thought we were taking this slowly, one step at a time?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, me too. But when I saw you in the kitchen this morning in just those tiny shorts, I lost all of my own reasoning," he laughed.

"Why wait until this morning though, why not last night?"

"Bella, we were both in shock last night, probably still are, to be fair. I might be a bastard at times, but I'm not that much of one to try to get it on with someone who had just spent half the night sobbing. Besides, we had both been drinking and after finding out about Vegas, it wouldn't have been a good idea to recreate the whole drunken sex debacle," he told me with that panty dropping smirk of his.

"You make a valid point, Mr. Cullen."

"I always do, Miss Swan."

"We still need to talk... about what's happened and what's happening," I say, lifting my head to look at his face.

"I know," he agreed, "but first how about round two?" he asked waggling his eyebrows

"I don't think that would be a very good idea right now, Edward."

"Why?"

"I forgot to turn the oven off."


	14. Chapter 14

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 14**

Breakfast was ruined, it was completely dried out. I took it from the oven and threw it all in the bin.

"At least the apartment didn't burn down," Edward laughed at me.

"Not helping Edward!" I said as I playfully slapped his chest. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me to him for a kiss.

"We need to eat food not fool around," I told him as I wrapped my arms around him.

"How about you go take a shower and I'll find us something to eat?" he playfully pushed me off towards the bathroom swatting my ass as I went.

I looked at him over my shoulder. "I didn't realize you were into spanking, Edward," I seductively cooed.

"I'm into a lot of things that you're not yet aware of, Bella," a big grin spread across his beautiful face.

I think that I might just have let out a small whimper. It was a good thing that I was on my way to get cleaned up because I think if I didn't need to before, I certainly did now.

Twenty minutes later, I was all cleaned up and dressed, this time in sweats and a big baggy jumper. I wasn't about to give Edward any extra curricular activity ideas, no matter how much I would have enjoyed them.

"Breakfast is served, Madam," he said in a ridiculously bad British accent.

"Why, thank you, kind Sir," I replied as he pulled out my chair for me.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight before me, a bowl of frosted flakes and a glass of orange juice each.

"I don't cook," Edward nonchalantly told me with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It's perfect," I gave his hand a small squeeze before picking up my spoon to take my first bite. My stomach growled as I swallowed my first mouthful. It's odd how sometimes you don't realize just how hungry you are until you start eating.

We ate our breakfast in a comfortable silence.

"So, Vegas, do you want to talk about it?" Edward asked as he picked up another spoonful of cereal.

I knew the conversation was inevitable, but I couldn't tell Edward about Josh, not yet anyway. All of this... _Whatever this is_! was new to both of us. I needed time, and unbeknown to Edward, so did he. If he just got to know Josh first, I'm positive that telling him later would be the best thing.

"Um, what do you want to talk about?" I asked nervously.

"Well," he said swallowing his frosted flakes, "What exactly do you remember?"

I took a deep breath and cast my mind back.

"I remember hearing you all celebrating and us joining you," I looked at Edward who gave me a nod of encouragement to carry on. "Rose thinks that we hit up a club at some point because she can remember us dancing on the tables," I let out a nervous chuckle.

"Go on!" he encouraged me.

"Um, I remember us being in the elevator going back to your room," I chewed my bottom lip in embarrassment.

"And?"

"And I remember you being really gentle with me," I told him as my coloring went from tomato red to beet red.

"But you can't remember anything about me?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Only your eyes," I told him truthfully. "A few hours later I woke up still drunk lying beside you, and you were still sleeping. I was scared that the girls would be worried about me, so I got dressed and left."

Edward was quiet for a while before he spoke. "I remember the dancing, after that it was pretty much a blur. I was really wasted that night. It's funny because your eyes are the only thing that I remembered about you as well."

"Can Emmett and Jasper remember anything?" I asked.

"I've never really asked them. Guys don't talk about that kind of thing, you know?"

I nodded in understanding.

I still chewed on my bottom lip as Edward reached across and released it from my teeth with his finger. "If you chew on that any more, it's going to bleed," he told me with a furrowed brow.

"Err, Edward, can I ask you something?"

"That depends on what it is," he smiled as he picked up his orange juice and took a drink.

"That night in Vegas, you were really gentle with me... I can remember that much at least, and yet right now it was..."

"Intense, passionate, lustful, amazing, the best sex of your life?" he teased.

I laughed and nodded as my bottom lip worked its way back between my teeth.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to agree," he laughed as he swatted imaginary confetti from his shoulders.

"Big head," I told him as I rolled my eyes.

"Baby, you KNOW I have a big head," he retorted with a chuckle.

I didn't think it was possible to blush anymore than I already was, but my body was quick to prove me wrong.

"In all seriousness, Bella, I was so drunk in Vegas that I'm surprised that I even managed to rise to the occasion, let alone see it through... not that I've ever had that problem before," he added as an after thought. "This morning was, well, it was built-up want, need, passion and a lot of other things that I can't explain."

"Um, you like to take control!" I asked him more of a statement than a question.

"With women, no; with sex, yes, most of the time anyway but not always. Is that a problem?"

"No," I told him in all honesty. "I liked it."

"That's good to know," he said with a smirk.

We polished off our breakfast and loaded the bowls and glasses into the dishwasher, this time switching it on. I put Edward's makeshift bed sheets for wash and flopped down onto the sofa.

"So, what now?" I asked as he sat down beside me.

"How about we get to know each other a little better?" he picked up one of Josh's toys that had made its way underneath the coffee table.

I gulped in the knowledge that he was holding something belonging to the son that he didn't even know he had. I hated not telling him, he had a right to know but holding back was the right thing to do. It needed careful handling and right now was not the time or place.

"Ok," I said nervously, "what do you want to know?"

"Let's start with something simple," he said. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Um, not really, although I do a lot of cooking and I like to read," I told him pointing to the bookcase. "I don't really have the time to have hobbies, what with working full time and looking after Josh. How about you?"

"I like to read as well, the classics mostly, but I also like some modern fiction. I'm a big music fan too. I've been playing the piano and guitar since I was very young. It's very therapeutic."

"Do you still play?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, it relaxes me. I have a piano in my apartment, but I don't get to play as often as I like because I'm usually caught up with work."

I nod my head in understanding, Edward does work long hours and his job is incredibly stressful.

"Alice says that Jasper plays the guitar too, is it something that runs in the family?" I ask as visions of Edward teaching Josh how to play a few chords enter my head, and I mentally try to block them. I didn't want to even think that far ahead.

"I suppose so," he tells me. "Mom got me into playing the piano when I was about six years old. Jasper showed no interest, and Emmett was more interested in banging on saucepans pretending they were a drum kit," he said as he laughed at the memory. "Jasper learned the guitar in school when he was about eleven years old. He was a natural and took to it like water off a duck's back. He was the one who taught me how to play; he's incredibly talented."

"Maybe you could play for me sometime?" I asked.

"Maybe, I don't really play for other people... but for you I might just make an exception," he says smiling as he picks up my hand and starts to run patterns on my palm with his fingers. I can't help the grin that spreads across my face at the thought of Edward playing for me. There's something quite romantic in the knowledge that he doesn't play for anyone else, yet I could be the one who changes that.

"Have you had many girlfriends?" I blurt out of nowhere. Damn, my mouth needs a filter, where the hell did that come from?

Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he processed how to answer the question.

"I've never really been down that route," he tells me while watching his fingers play with my hand. "I've always treated women pretty badly. It's not something that I'm proud of, but it is what it is," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "If you want me to be honest, Bella, I'll be honest, but it's not pretty."

"Go on," I tell him with a nod of encouragement.

Edward took a deep breath before he continued. "I've always been a fuck em and leave em type of guy. It's not easy trusting women when you have the Cullen name behind you, and there are so many women out there who only want to date your money."

"That's awful, Edward," I gasp.

"Yeah, but it's true. Another reason is that I liked it. I enjoyed picking up the most beautiful women, taking them to dinner and fucking them afterwards. It became a game after a while; it was all that I knew. Pick them up, fuck them and drop them. None of them meant a damn thing. It wasn't all bad, I suppose that I used them for sex the same way that they were trying to use me for my bank account."

"But Lauren was your girlfriend, wasn't she?" I asked confused.

Edward shook his head. "Not really, but I guess it looked that way in her eyes and everyone else's, she was. But in mine she was just there to fill the gap. I wanted to change, I wanted a relationship and it's sad to say that I used Lauren just the same way that I used all the others. I just kept her around a bit longer."

"Wow," was the only response that came out of my mouth.

Edward turned in his seat so that he was facing me.

"I don't see you that way, Bella, I don't want to treat you like that," he said as he placed his finger underneath my chin and lifted my face so that I was looking at him.

"I like you, at first I couldn't understand what was happening. I was drawn to you, but I thought that you were in a relationship so I pushed you away. I wouldn't allow myself to become close to you, but it just wouldn't go away. I needed to be around you and when you introduced Jake as just a friend, I knew then and there that I had to take the chance. I can't make you any promises, Bella. I still think that we should take this slowly, one day at a time, and I'm bound to fuck up sooner or later, but I really would like to give us a chance and see where it goes!"

"I'd really like that too, Edward," I said as I brought up my hand and stroked his face over his five o'clock shadow. It was rough beneath my fingertips, but I didn't care as I leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. "One day at a time," I agreed smiling.

The question I really wanted to ask just kept going round and around inside my mind, I just couldn't think of how to put it to him. So in typical Bella fashion I just blurted it out.

"What about Josh?"

"What about him?" Edward asked in confusion, with his brow creased.

"Does it not bother you that I have a son?"

He rubbed his hands over his face for several moments as he thought about his answer. I could feel bullets of sweat breaking out on the back of my neck. This answer could be pivotal to not only our budding new relationship, but also to Edward and Josh's future relationship as father and son.

"I'll admit that I wasn't overjoyed when I first found out that you had a child," he started. "I've never really had anything to do with children. I've never had a need to, but having seen him that time in my father's office, I think he's a cool kid."

"A cool kid! Edward, he's a baby," I said trying to hide my amusement.

"You know what I mean, Bella!" he rolled his eyes.

"I'm probably not going to be the best role model for him to have around, but I'm willing to give it a try. Just don't expect me to change his diaper," he said laughing.

Tears stung my eyes and I quickly batted them away as a mixture of joy and heartache overcame me. Those words alone gave me hope that when I eventually did break the news to Edward, he would take it positively.

"Thank you," I choked out as I leant my head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly while kissing the top of my head.

"I should be going, Bella," he whispered, "I really need a shower and a change of clothes."

I playfully took a deep sniff, "Yeah, you do," I agreed as he laughed. "Come on, I'll see you out. Angela will be bringing Josh back soon, so I should really cook up a batch of food while I have the time."

"Cook up a batch of food?" he asked quizzically.

"Yeah, I do it every Sunday. I try to cook up enough food for most of the week, and then I take some and blitz it up for Josh and freeze it. It's a good system. Josh gets to eat home cooked food without any additives, and it means that I don't always have to cook when I get in from work," I explained.

He seemed impressed by my organization skills as he pursed his lips and nodded his head.

"Maybe you could cook for me one night?" he asked as I walked into the kitchen and started to pull out various pots and pans. "The only home cooked meals I ever have are when I go to my parents. Other than that, it's just take out or restaurants."

"Edward, that's a heart attack waiting to happen!" I scolded him. "So you really don't cook at all?"

"I can make a sandwich, burn toast, and put a cold salad together," he told me proudly.

"Seriously, Edward, you're proud of that?" I asked shaking my head in disbelief. "You're coming round here on Tuesday. Not only am I going to feed you, but I'm going to give you a cooking lesson as well."

He looked at me in disbelief. "You're a demanding little thing, aren't you?"

"Yup, get used to it," I told him with my hands planted firmly on my hips.

He shook his head. "Damn woman," I heard him mutter as he slipped on his shoes and made his way to the door.

I unlocked and opened it for him before standing on my tip toes and planting a kiss on his lips. His hands snuck around my waist as he deepened the kiss briefly before pulling away and placing his forehead to mine, "Thank you for a wonderful morning, Bella."

"I've enjoyed it too," I told him in all honesty.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," he gave my lips another quick peck before walking away giving me a little wave as he went.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I replied closing the door behind him while smiling.

**A/N Oh Bella, Just tell him!**

**I'm with you guys, I think Bella should tell him straight away. However, this is fanfiction and where would we be without a bit of built up drama?**

**A few people have questioned why Edward being an intelligent CEO hasn't yet worked out that Josh is his son. Edward is incredibly self absorbed, all of his adult life so far has revolved around work and hitting on women, as far as he's concerned in his own oblivious mind, Josh is just Bella's son, he has no reason work the dates out or give Josh's father a second thought. He has a lot of growing up still to do.**

**As for Bella, her normal level headedness has gone out of the window. She's in shock at realizing that Edward is Josh's father, and in her own screwed up mind she thinks that by letting Edward and Josh bond first it will make it easier when the times right.**

**BAD BELLA!**

**Can I again thank each and every one of you who have voted for MOI over at the lemonade stand, if I could give you all a big hug I would? Also, many thanks for all of your reviews and PM's. I have had so much fun writing MOI and I hope you are enjoying it.**

**Happy reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 15**

Angela brought Josh home only 30 minutes later while I was in the middle of preparing a country vegetable casserole, a beef goulash, and a chicken, vegetable and cheese pasta dish. The kitchen looked like a bomb site with pots, pans and ingredients all over the counters.

"Hey, baby," I cooed to him as he kicked his legs eagerly to get to me. Angela clung onto him for dear life and I quickly wiped my hands before taking him in my arms for a big momma hug.

"Momma's missed her little man soooooo much," I told him while planting kisses all over his chubby cheeks. "Have you been a good little boy for Auntie Angela?"

"He's been an angel," Angela told me as Ben and Jake came crashing through the door carrying all of Josh's overnight things.

"Yeah, and thank God you packed extra clothes," Ben shouted as he carried the travel cot and car seat to the closet in Josh's room.

"Don't tell me that his diaper really did explode?" I asked Angela with a huge smirk on my face.

She grimaced, "Oh, Bella, you should have seen the state of him. We had just bathed him, put his PJ's on and had settled him down for his milk before bed when he just let it rip. It was like an explosion in a paint factory." She gagged at the memory of it.

"That's an understatement," Ben said as he walked back into the living room. "It was more like Mount Etna erupting, it was everywhere, down his legs, up his back. God knows how it got there, but it was even all over his stomach!"

"Eww," Jake and I both said in unison.

"We had to strip him, and then Ben held him while I wiped him down," Angela told me, still trying to hold back on her gagging reflex.

"Then we had to bath him all over again," Ben tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

I sat down on the sofa with Josh on my knee, and he was babbling away as though he was trying to tell me all about his overnight adventure. Jake came and sat down beside me flinging his arm around my shoulders and bringing my head to his shoulder. Angela and Ben both sat on the floor. I did offer them the sofa but they both declined.

"So, I guess the mystery is solved then," Jake indicated with his eyes towards Josh.

"What mystery?" Ben frowned.

"Bellababydaddy!" He said it so quickly that it just came out sounding like one ridiculous word.

"Noooooo," Angela's eyes bulging in shock. "Who?"

"Edward," I told her before Jake could put his two cents in.

"Edward who?" she asked... "Noooooo, not your boss Edward?" as realization finally dawned on her.

"The one and only," I quipped.

"Geez, Bella, you don't do things halfway, do you?" Ben sniggered as Angela slapped him across the head.

"How did you find out?" Angela asked confused.

"Last night at the club, Edward was there and his brother, Jasper, recognized us."

"So, have you told him yet?" Jake asked.

"No, not yet." Josh climbed down out of my lap and stood between my legs holding onto my knees for balance. "I'm going to leave it for a couple of weeks. We're getting to know one another first, and I'll let him spend some time with Josh without him having the added pressure of knowing he's his father. Once they feel comfortable around each other, then I'll tell him."

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Jake warned.

Ben nodded in agreement. "If it was me, I'd want to know right away. You can't keep something like this from him, Bella, it's too big of an issue."

"I'm not keeping it from him," I insisted. "I'm just giving him time to get to know us first. It was a big enough shock finding out about Vegas without me springing this on him as well. At least doing it this way he'll get a chance to bond with Josh first."

"I'm not convinced," Jake shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about it all."

"Well, I think it's a great idea," Angela chimed. "It gives Bella a chance to figure out how she's going to break the news, and Edward a chance to get to know his son first."

"Thanks, Angela," I said smiling at her as Josh crawled across the floor to grab the toy that Edward had found earlier.

The timer on the oven went off and I quickly removed the first two dishes and left them to cool, while cooking the chicken, vegetable and cheese pasta on the stove. Everyone stayed for a late lunch, and we all made quick work of the Beef goulash, with fluffy white rice and a crisp green salad. Josh of course had his beef and rice blitzed into small chunks which looked awful, but it didn't put him off as he wolfed it hungrily. He must take after his uncle, Emmett, for the love of food... Did I just really think that? Realization suddenly dawned on me that not only did Josh have a father, but he also had two uncles and grandparents... Esme and Carlisle.

.God, Esme, she's going to go mental when she finds out! The pressure that was facing me was making me dizzy. It wasn't just Edward's world that I was about to turn upside down but an entire family.

We ate sandwiches for dinner and chatted the whole afternoon. It was good to have company, something that I didn't often have a lot of these days, and everyone left a little after 7:00pm. It was hard saying goodbye to Jake. His time with us was up and he was flying home to California the very next day. I missed him already but he made me promise to bring Josh down for a vacation. He gave me another warning about not telling Edward straight away, and I hope I put his fears to rest by promising that I would tell him within the next couple of weeks.

I bathed Josh and performed his usual bedtime routine before placing him down to sleep. I rustled his hair and gave him a light kiss on his chubby cheek before tip-toeing my way out of his room and back down the hallway to the living room. I almost jumped out of my skin when I found Rose and Alice sitting on the sofa flicking through fashion magazines.

"Jeez, you scared the life out of me," I almost shouted, clutching my chest.

"Never mind that, come on take a seat," Alice said patting the empty cushion between the two of them.

"Yeah, come on, bitch, spill it! We want details!" Rose proclaimed.

I shook my head at the sheer forwardness of those two so called 'friends.' Still, I knew better than to cross them so I did as I was told. Flopping down in the middle of the sofa, I crossed my arms and huffed a little.

"What do you want to know?" I sighed, knowing full well what details they actually wanted.

"What happened after I left?" Alice asked. "I've already filled Rose in on what happened before that, so you can skip it. Just get to the good stuff."

"Nothing happened," I told them truthfully. "We talked a little. We were both shook up, so nothing much got said. He stayed the night and..."

"He stayed the night?" Rose smiled.

"Not in the way that you're thinking," I told her. "He slept on the sofa."

"Sure he did," she laughed.

"He did. Nothing happened last night. That waited until this morning."

"I knew it!" Alice squealed, clapping her hand in delight.

"Bella, you better spill the whole story now, or so help me God I'm going to I'll pin you down and cut off that mane of yours!" Rose announced in an 'I'm not joking' kind of tone. When Rose gets like that, you do as you're told because that's one lethal bitch who will carry out her threats.

"Okay, I'll tell you!" I held my arms up in surrender. "But no interrupting." I glared at them both.

They nodded their heads eagerly waiting for me to get on with it.

I filled them in on how we were both stunned about Vegas, and about how much we liked one another but had decided that we were going to take things slowly one day at a time. It had gotten very late so Edward slept on the sofa. I told them how we had mad, passionate sex this morning, at which they both squealed like pigs at feeding time. Then I filled them in on our question and answering session before he left.

By the time I had finished telling them the whole story in detail, they both sat there stunned.

Alice was the first to speak. "So you still haven't told him about Josh?"

"Not yet, I'm going to let him get his head around the whole Vegas thing first and let him get to know both me and Josh before I spring it all on him." I told her.

I could see both their minds working overtime as they processed the information.

"I don't like it." Alice told me in all honesty.

"I do," Rose said. "I can see where Bella is coming from."

"What if he figures it out before she tells him?" Alice asked.

"I can't see that happening, plus she's going to tell him sooner rather than later," Rose replied.

I just sat in the middle of them like a spare part as they had their discussion about me and my life. My head going backwards and forwards between them like I was watching a tennis match.

"Well, I have a bad feeling about it all, and I don't like keeping things from Jasper," Alice said in a huff.

"Oh, please, it's not as if you're lying to him. You're just not telling him the whole story," Rose insisted, "and let's face it, Alice, it's not your story to tell."

"I still don't like it!" Alice cried as she flung herself back against the sofa and crossed her arms like a child who didn't get their own way.

"Besides," Rose continued, "I'm not going to be telling Emmett, so I don't know what your big deal is!"

"Hang on," I said, finally finding my voice, "what's Emmett got to do with any of this?"

"Oh, yeah, Rose, fill Bella in on that little gem!" Alice said, still in a tizzy.

"Well," Rose started, "when you left the club last night, Jake and I stayed behind to do a little damage control as you know." I nodded my head in understanding as Rose continued. "Anyway, I got chatting with Emmett. We talked about how little we both could remember about Vegas and then we got chatting about other things and, well, we just hit it off. He's asked me out on a date later this week."

"Wow!" was all I could say. "You and Emmett!"

Rose nodded her head, and Alice and I just looked at one another before bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing," I told her, still laughing "I just think that you're both perfectly suited to one another."

Another realization sprang suddenly into my mind.

"So, if we can't remember the boys from Vegas and they can't remember us, how on earth did Jasper recognize us?" I asked Alice.

"Yeah, good point, Bella." Rose said, sitting suddenly upright and looking to Alice for answers.

"Jasper hardly drinks. He was sober the whole time, that's how he recognized you." Alice said with a shrug of her shoulder.

"Well, that explains a lot," I said, mostly speaking to myself.

"Sure does," Rose agreed.

The girls left at a little over 11:00 pm that night, and I prepared for bed, slipped between the sheets, and fell into deep and much needed sleep. I was exhausted. The next morning I was awakened not by my alarm clock, but by Josh crying. I jumped out of bed glancing at the clock as I went, 3:30 am.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I soothed as I walked into his room. Josh had pulled himself up with the bars of his cot and was standing looking at me with a tear stained face as he cried. "Come on, baby," I said as I picked him up. He was soaked and his diaper had obviously leaked. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes," I told him planting a kiss on his forehead.

After cleaning him up and changing him, Josh was wide awake and decided it was playtime. I tried placing him back in his cot and turning out the light but to no avail, he wasn't having any of it, he was wide awake. I tried the tough love method where you leave them to cry, but I couldn't hack it and went into him after around three minutes of hearing him cry. I wasn't about to start bringing him into my bed with me because I'd heard so many people telling me that I would be making a rod for my own back if I did. Instead I carried him into the living room, turned the light down low and held him in my arms hoping that he'd fall to sleep sometime soon. I had no such luck as he squirmed and whimpered in my arms trying to get down, so that he could play. By 5:30, I had given up all hope. By 6:30, Josh had fallen asleep on the floor face down with his ass in the air, and it was time for me to start getting ready for work.

I dragged my feet into Cullen International just before 9:00 am, Tanya greeted me with a raised brow and her usual snarl as I made my way up to the 17th floor. I entered the elevator and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the doors. If Alice could see me now, she'd be having kittens. My eyes were puffy and heavy lidded due to a lack of sleep. I hadn't bothered wearing any make up and my hair was thrown up onto the top of my head in a messy ponytail. At least my outfit was half way decent with a pair of wide-legged dress pants and plain white blouse. I had opted for a pair of ballet flats on my feet, and looking at the state of my eyes, I was beginning to wish that I had worn sunglasses as well.

The doors opened at the 17th floor and I reluctantly made my way to the office. It was times like this that I was glad that I didn't have a sofa in there, I would have been so tempted to have laid down on it and have a little power nap.

"Good morning, Bella," I heard just as I was opening my office door.

I turned around, "Good morning, Esme," I said as my smile turned into a yawn.

"Oh, my, you look shocking," Esme said as she followed me into my office. "What's happened?"

"Josh," was my one word reply.

"Um," she simply said nodding her head in understanding. "Been there, done that and worn the t-shirt," she called as she walked out of the door.

I hung my jacket up and threw my purse on the floor underneath the desk before flopping down into a chair and rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands.

"Here you go," Esme walked back into the office handing me a much needed cup of coffee. "That will wake you up," she said as I took a sip.

"Eww, Esme, are you trying to kill me?" I lifted the lid on the polystyrene cup as she chuckled. "What happened to the milk?"

"Black coffee is good for waking you up," she stated, "The stronger, the better."

"Well, that's certainly strong," I frowned while looking back at the black colored liquid. "Thanks for bringing it to me."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "So, tell me what that little boy has been doing to have you looking this bad!"

I groaned at her comment, "His diaper leaked at half past three this morning. By the time I'd got him cleaned up, he thought that it was playtime. Then to add insult to injury, he decided to fall back to sleep just as it was time for me to get ready for work!"

"Uh-huh, the joy of having children," she sighed as a wistful look came across her face.

A pang of guilt hit me as the thought of her being Josh's grandmother started to eat away at my heart. Pretty soon she would know the truth and hopefully, she would welcome him with open arms.

"Good morning," I heard a voice say pulling me out of my musings. I looked up to see Edward walk into my office complete with a bottle of water and two cream cheese bagels.

"Oh, hi, mom, I didn't know you were here, I would have brought you one," he said indicating the bagel.

"That's okay, Edward, I already ate with your father," she smiled at him.

"Breakfast," he simply said to me as he walked around the desk and handed me a small cream cheese piece of heaven.

"Thank you, Edward, I need this," I said as I looked up to him.

"Jeez, Bella, what's wrong, are you okay?" he moved a piece of hair off of my face and put his hand to my forehead to feel my temperature.

"Josh happened," I told him as a matter of fact.

He looked totally confused but accepted my answer as we both took a bite of our bagels.

"I actually came in to ask you to cancel my meeting this afternoon and put all calls on hold until I say otherwise," he told me. "I really need to get some paperwork caught up on and ready for the Chicago conference.

"Yup, no problem. I'll do it right away," I tell him as he bends down and gives me a light peck on the lips.

"Thank you," he gives me a wink before he walks out of the office.

Well, the conniving piece of crap, I thought to myself as I watched him close the door behind him. He planned that out and executed it to perfection.

Thanks to him, his mother was now aware of our budding romance and he'd deliberately left me to deal with the fallout.

I looked at Esme who never said a word. She just sat there with a huge self satisfied smirk on her face.

"Don't even ask, Esme," I gave her a warning glance,

"I wouldn't dream of it, dear," she replied. "Not until after you've had some sleep at least."


	16. Chapter 16

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 16**

"Bella," I could feel warm hands running circles on my back.

"Hmm."

"Bella, Wake up."

"Edward," I mumbled, as I slowly peeled opened one eye. I took in my surroundings and shot up quickly in my chair. Edward was kneeling down on one knee beside me and my half eaten sandwich was curled up and dried out on my desk.

"I'm so sorry!"I gushed. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said softly as he gently as he pushed my hair out of my face. "It's not like you, are you okay?"

I stretched and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Um, yeah," I let out a long yawn. "Josh kept me up half of the night. I'm sorry, Edward. I've never fallen asleep at work before, and it won't happen again."

"Bella, it's your lunch break. You're perfectly entitled to do what you want on your own time. I was just worried that you would wake up with a sore neck that's all."

"Thanks," I told him with a warm smile. "What time is it?"

I picked up the remains of my sandwich and tossed it in the trash.

"2 pm," he glancing at his watch. "I came in to tell you that I was leaving for the day. I have a few things that I need to catch up on before Chicago."

"Okay, would you like me to direct any calls to your cell or shall I just take messages?" I asked.

"Just take a message," he rose up off the floor. "If anything urgent comes up, redirect it to my father. It's about time the old man did some work around here," he said with a chuckle before lowering his head and placing a lingering kiss on my lips.

"I shouldn't be kissing you," I told him sternly.

"Really! And why's that?" His eyes dancing in amusement.

"Oh, just the small matter of your little display in front of your mother earlier, and then leaving me to deal with the fall out."

His lips curled upwards slightly as he tried to keep a straight face. "Well, I do have method to my madness."

"No fair, Edward!" I mockingly scolded. "You do realize that she's going to want details, don't you?"

"Why do think that I left her in your more than capable hands?" he said as he grabbed my hands and pulled me from my chair, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Because you're a conniving piece of work," I raised my eyebrow at him as I slid my arms around his neck.

"Yup, you got me there! Although in my defense, my mother did teach me all I know," he smirked as he brought his lips to mine for a gentle kiss before nestling his face into the crook of my neck.

"I should go before we do something completely inappropriate in the workplace," he chuckled against my skin.

"Mmm, hmm," I muttered pulling him closer to me. I could feel his erection straining against his pants as his body held tight against my own.

"Why, I think you have a small problem that I could help you with, Mr. Cullen," I said in the most seductive voice that I could muster up.

"Small?" he questioned raising his head from my neck. "I think you'll find that I have rather a huge problem, wouldn't you say, Miss Swan?"

"Well, as your personal assistant, it's my duty to meet all your needs efficiently as they... arise!"

"Oh, God, Bella," he moaned as his lips found the juncture between my neck and my collarbone. "You'll be the death of me."

I groaned and threw my head back as he kissed and nipped backwards and forwards. My hands travelled slowly down his body feeling the taught muscles of his chest until they found the waistband of his pants. I teased him slightly as I rubbed my hand everywhere, but purposefully avoiding his erection. His hips bucked forward instinctively and I took that as my cue to palm him fully.

"Fuck, that feels good," He murmured as I began rubbing him firmly along his length only stopping to undo his button and pull down his zipper.

"Bella, we can't!" He stilled my hands as they were about to dip into the band of his boxers, "I don't have a condom."

I stalled for a moment, but instinct took over. "We don't need one, this is all about you!" I told him as I pulled my hands free from his. "I know you like to be in control, Edward, but now it's my turn." I told him firmly as I pulled down his pants and boxers letting his cock spring free.

I looked into his eyes, they had turned dark, almost forest green and were filled with desire. "Let me do this, Edward...for you?" I asked as I dropped to my knees.

"Bella, you don't have to do..." his voice trailed off as he let out a hiss when my lips wrapped around the tip of his cock. I knew that Edward was big, but until I had gotten this up close and personal, I didn't truly realize just how big he was. I swirled my tongue repeatedly around his tip before running it up and down his entire length. I took him as far into my mouth as he would go before my gagging reflex kicked in, and I started to move my head, sucking and licking the whole time. I felt Edward's hands wrap themselves in my hair as he held my head and gently started to guide me at the pace that he needed. I raised my eyes upwards to see Edward watching me as I increased the pressure and pace.

"Do you know how amazing you look sucking on my cock?" he asked in an animalistic tone.

I hummed my response which sent vibrations running through his body as he threw back his head and moaned. I had only ever been with two men in my whole life and wasn't an expert when it came to sex, but with Edward it felt natural. I didn't feel naive or inferior at my lack of sexual skills, instead he made me feel desirable and wanted.

I increased my pace even more and felt his cock harden further, as if that was at all possible.

"Jeez, Bella, you have to stop, I'm going to cum!" he growled.

This spurred me on even more, I wrapped one hand around him and pumped as I ran my teeth delicately up and down his shaft. I gently tugged on his balls as his body started to tremble shortly before he shot his hot milky liquid into my mouth and down my throat before cleaning him gently with my tongue as he began to soften. I released him gently and helped tuck him back into his boxers.

He fastened his pants and pulled me from my kneeling position. His eyes were full of passion as he gently pushed my hair back from my face. "Thank you. That was hands down the hottest thing that I have ever seen," he told me before his lips crashed to mine, holding nothing back as his mouth told me exactly how grateful he was. It was all too soon before he broke the kiss and placed his forehead against mine. "I should return the favor."

I stilled his hands as they found their way to the button of my pants. "There's no time, you have a meeting remember?"

He groaned and nodded his response.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" he asked still breathless.

"Yes, I'd like that," I told him with a smile. "I... Um, I'm sorry about what just happened."

He raised his head and looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well... We're supposed to be taking things slowly, and doing... that here, well...it wasn't very professional of me. I'm sorry I got carried away," I blushed.

"Don't be sorry, Bella, I enjoyed every minute of it," he smirked as he repeatedly pecked my lips. "As for being in the office, well, it was unprofessional on both our parts, but the main thing we should have been worried about is the fact that neither of us locked the door."

I gasped in horror at the realization that we could have been caught at any moment. Edward just laughed at the expression on my face.

"So tomorrow," he continued as if nothing had happened. "We can both leave work together. I'll drive us both to your place, and you can cook me that wonderful meal that I'm so looking forward to,"

"I thought I was showing YOU how to cook a wonderful meal?" I asked in mock annoyance.

"Semantics, Bella," he quipped as I pushed him towards the door.

"Go, scoot, haven't you got things to do?" I teased playfully.

Edward laughed and placed another quick peck on my lips before closing the door behind him.

I chuckled to myself at how carefree and childlike he could be... such a different person from the hot and cold blowing Edward that I met originally. I couldn't help the pang of guilt that hit me knowing that I was deceiving him. Is that what I was doing? It was with the best intentions, once Edward could see that Josh was an amazing little boy, he would welcome him with open arms surely. They both deserved one another in their lives, and all I was trying to do was to get Edward to see that before I sprang the news on him.

So why did I feel so bad? I don't tell lies, I despise people who lie. But I'm not lying, am I? No, I'm not lying. I'm just withholding vital information for the time being, but all of that will be put right soon enough!

Edward would be spending time with Josh tomorrow evening, and if that all went well, I would tell him in maybe a week or so. Josh's first birthday was coming up and I'm sure that Edward would want to be a part of that. Maybe Jake and Ben were right, I really should tell him sooner rather than later, but how? How was I going to tell him, and when would be the right time?

I was left to my thoughts as I continued with my work. There was only one important phone call from a new firm called Cotton Independents, whom Edward was trying to secure a deal with, and I put them straight through to Carlisle as Edward requested.

Later that afternoon I was filing away a few reports that I had finished, when a knock came to my door and Emmett strolled in. "Bella," he called in his ridiculously loud booming voice as he sat down in the visitor's chair and perched his extremely long legs on the edge of my desk grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked in a mocking tone as I knocked his feet down off of the desk.

"So, you and Eddie did the old horizontal tango in Vegas?" he said with a chuckle.

I groaned at his use of words. "What do you want, Emmett?"

"Information," he stated bluntly.

"Eh, perv, I'm not telling you what happened between us!" I said rather annoyed.

Emmett laughed, "Not that, although that would be quite interesting," he said waggling his eyebrows at me. "I want to know about Rose."

"Arr yes, you and Rose, I heard about that," I said as I waggled my own eyebrows back at him, giving as good as I get. Emmett blushed, and it was actually quite endearing to see a big hulk of a guy blush with embarrassment.

"What do you want to know?"

"Um, I'm taking her out...On a date, and I... um don't know where to take her. I don't know her well enough yet to know what she's into and things, so I was hoping that you could give me a few pointers!" he stuttered.

I laughed at his obvious unease. "Well, you know that she's a mechanic right?"

"Yeah, she told me that she had her own garage. I can't wait to see her in her overalls," he said more to himself that to me.

I let out a sigh and continued, "She's not like a girly-girl. I mean she likes doing the normal things that girls like to do, clothes, hair make-up, romance, etcetera, but she also likes to do other stuff too. You'll find Rose more at home covered in grease and paint than you would at the mall getting her nails done," I told him firmly.

He slowly nodded his head in understanding. "So what would you suggest?"

"Um, how about a bit of both? You could take her for a nice meal and afterwards there's always the vintage motor museum. I know that she's been wanting to go there for a while and never gotten around to it," I offered.

"Perfect," Emmett rubbed his hands together in glee smiling. "She's a great girl, I could kick myself for not remembering her from Vegas, I could have been dating her all this time."

"You like her that much?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, she's not like any other girl I've ever met. She's smart and funny, stunningly beautiful and won't put up with any of my shit," he told me confidently.

I laughed at his description as he'd pretty much summed Rose up in those few words. The more I sat and watched Emmett talk about her with the wistful look on his face, the more I realized that those two really could be perfect for one another.

"Well, in that case, I think a meal and the motor museum would be perfect. She'll love it."

"Thanks, Bella. Hey, maybe we could double date with you and Eddie boy sometime?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Emmett. Edward and I are taking things slow at the moment and besides there wouldn't be anyone to look after Josh!"

"Leave that one to me!" He stood to leave the room with an all knowing smile that made me seriously start to worry. He stopped as he reached the door. "Why are you taking things slowly?" he asked. "I've seen the way that you two look at each other."

"We just need time to get to know one another, plus there's Josh to consider," I told him by way of explanation.

"Pfft, you two need your heads banged together!" He shook his head and walked out leaving me sitting there feeling confused at his words.

I went home that night and spent some much needed time with my little man before laying him down for the night. I was exhausted and I didn't even have enough energy to cook for myself, so instead I made myself a couple of slices of toast before I settled down between the sheets, falling fast asleep, hoping and praying that Josh didn't have another leaking or exploding diaper during the night.

I woke up the next morning feeling fully refreshed. I reached over and turned off the alarm before jumping out of bed and going to check on my little man who was thankfully still asleep. I managed a quick shower and a bowl of cereal before getting ready. Josh woke up not long afterwards, and I managed to get him dressed and feed him breakfast before Leah arrived a little after 8 am.

I had a full day at work ahead of me when I arrived at the office. Edward was already in and had placed a mountain of paperwork on my desk ready for me to start on, and Vicky had also dropped of the details of the flights for Edward and Emmett's trip to Chicago. I quickly made copies and filed one away before taking the other one into Edward's office. He was in a conference meeting with Carlisle, so I left it on his desk where he would find it when he returned.

The day flew by. I stepped out for lunch and sat in the park thinking about what I would cook for our meal together that evening. I pondered over what ingredients I had at home and decided to make chicken with honey and lemon, my mouth was watering at just the thought of it, and I quickly pushed another bite of sandwich into mouth.

By 5 pm, I'd managed to work my way through the pile of paperwork and was just about to finish everything up. I hadn't seen anything of Edward all day and the only chance that I'd had to speak to him was when I put his calls through to his office. I filed away the papers and grabbed my jacket and purse before making my way to Edwards's office and knocked twice before entering. He was sitting behind his desk when I entered with his cell pressed firmly to his ear. He gave me a half-hearted smile and held up one finger indicating to me that he would be just a minute.

"I've told you before, it's not happening," he said aggressively to whoever was on the other end of the line, he looked exasperated. "Just let it go. I'm not going to discuss this anymore, goodbye," he told them before promptly ending the call.

"Problem?" I asked as he let out a deep sigh and ran his hands over his face.

"Nothing I can't handle," he said as he stood and picked up his suit jacket, throwing it casually over his arm. He opened the drawer to his desk and grabbed his wallet and car keys before walking over to me and placing a soft kiss on my lips.

"Ready?" he asked with a smile, his seemingly bad mood having melted away.

"As I'll ever be," I replied, smiling back as he placed his hand in the small of my back and led me out of the office. We took the elevator down to the parking lot, and Edward guided me to the right hand side of the garage where the parking spaces were reserved. He took his keys from his pocket and pressed the little fob to unlock the door.

"Edward, is this a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class?" I asked in awe as I slid into the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I'm impressed. Do you know about cars?" he seemed surprised.

"Well, you don't have much choice when you hang out with Rose," I told him in all honesty. "She'll shit a brick when she sees this."

"I'll remind you tomorrow to put some cash in the swear jar," Edward teased. I blushed at the language that had just left my potty mouth.

"The swear jar actually needs emptying... it's full," I admitted. Edward threw his head back and laughed as he started the car and drove out of the lot.

"So, what are you going to spend the money on?" he asked as we came to a standstill in the traffic.

"Um, well, I know it's not a lot, but it's going towards Josh's college fund," I told him slightly embarrassed. "Every little bit helps."

"That's actually really admirable," he told me. "It shows you're planning ahead at least."

"Well, no matter how bad my language gets, I doubt that the contents of my swear jar are going to be enough to get him through college," I sighed.

Edward glanced across at me, "So do you receive any financial support from his father?" he asked curiously before looking back at the road. The traffic was now moving and we weren't that far away from my apartment.

I could feel myself turning red, not through blushing but instead through shame. I was ashamed that the father of my son was in a budding relationship with me, and he didn't even know that we had a child together. I needed to tell him, I just had to find the right moment.

"Um, no," I stuttered looking down at my lap.

"I'm sorry, Bella, it's none of my business, I shouldn't have asked," he said as he reached across the car and gave my knee a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Edward. Honestly don't worry about it," I said, trying to let him know that I wasn't upset by his comments.

We arrived at my apartment shortly afterwards. Josh came at me full speed ahead on his hands and knees as usual when I walked through the door, with Edward following behind me. "Momma, momma" he babbled as I scooped him up in my arms and proceeded to blow raspberries onto his belly. Josh squealed with laughter and kicked his legs in the air while Edward looked on bewildered.

"Come on in and make yourself at home," I walked over to the sofa and flopped down on it with Josh still in my arms.

"How's he been today?" I asked Leah as she put her coat on after exchanging pleasantries with Edward.

"Fine, he wobbled a bit when he stood at the sofa earlier. I thought he was going to attempt to let go and take a step, but he didn't."

I was inwardly rejoicing at the fact that I hadn't yet missed my boy's first steps. I missed enough already with having to work full time, I just hoped and prayed that when it did eventually happen that I would be around to see it.

"Other than that he been his usual self," Leah told me with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella, usual time," she said as she bent down and ruffled Josh's hair.

Edward sat down next to me as Leah left.

"So, what's on the agenda?" he asked, picking up Josh's toy fire truck with flashing lights and sounds and playfully running it along the sofa towards him. "What do you usually do when you get home from work?"

"Um, well, I usually just spend some time with Josh, feed him, bath him and put him to bed. After that I grab something to eat and just chill out. It's all rather boring really."

"Well, you lead and I'll follow," he said with a smile as Josh climbed off my knee and crawled across the sofa to Edward.

My heart leapt into my mouth as Edward sat Josh in his lap and started to help him press the sound buttons on the fire truck. The resemblance between the two was striking. Everyone had always said that Josh looked like me, but seeing the two of them together and knowing the truth about Edward being Josh's father, the similarities were undeniable. How any of the Cullen's had not noticed that day in Carlisle's office I will never know.

Another pang of guilt hit me as I mentally kicked myself for not telling Edward straight away. He did have the right to know sooner rather than later, and I just needed to decide how to go about it telling him and when I should do it.

We sat and played for another half an hour or so, Josh taking to Edward from the very beginning, and it looked as though Edward was having a great time himself playing with all the different toys. He was more like Emmett than I imagined because once the brooding, businessman mask had slipped, Edward was just a big kid at heart. I walked over to the kitchen to prepare Josh his food and left the two of them on the floor. They were laughing and giggling as Edward stretched out and Josh used his stomach as a trampoline. Not that Edward had a stomach, it was more like a washboard with firm abs and plenty of definition. I almost groaned as I looked across and noticed that Edward's shirt had risen out of his pants and a little slither of skin around his hips was on display... _Focus, Bella,_ I inwardly chanted!

A while later we sat at the table chatting as I tried to feed Josh his meal. Edward laughed as Josh kept putting his hands in the dish, picking up small handfuls of food and attempting to put them in his mouth, but getting the majority in his hair and all over his face.

Once he was fed and cleaned up, we played for a little while longer before I stripped him down and bathed him. I was pleasantly surprised when Edward helped and filled Josh's rubber duck up with water and squirted it on his belly while Josh giggled and kicked his legs.

I was amazed at just how hands-on Edward was being. He admitted himself that he wasn't used to being around children and that it was a whole new experience for him. The two of them seemed to have bonded immediately, and it made me wonder if subconsciously Edward could know about Josh.

After his bath and some warm milk, I laid my little man down in my arms and read him a story. This was our quiet time and his favorite way to fall asleep. I could feel Edward's eyes watching me as I softly spoke the words of the story and gently ran my fingers over Josh's cheek and through his hair over and over again until his eyes closed and soft little snores escaped his lips.

I looked up to find Edward watching me with a small smile on his face. "You're an amazing mother, Bella," he said quietly so as not to disturb my sleeping son.

"Thank you...I try," I gave him a small smile in return.

I carried Josh to his room and placed him gently down in his bed, tucking him in and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek before closing his door.

By the time I got back, Edward was standing in the kitchen looking perplexed.

"Is something wrong?" I asked rather confused.

"I was just wondering how the hell you're going to teach me how to cook?" he let out a small chuckle.

"It's not hard, Edward!" I stated.

"Not now, but it will be later," he laughed, giving me a lopsided grin as he rolled up a tea towel and flicked it at my backside.

"Perv," I laughed, as he wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a lingering kiss on the lips.

"Come on. Time for lesson number one... You can't distract me that easily, Mr. Cullen," I said as I pulled his arms off of me and grabbed the ingredients from the cupboards.

"First things first," I told him. "Wash your hands."

He rolled his eyes at me but did it all the same while I giggled at his obvious reluctance.

"Now, cut the potatoes up into wedges and do the same with the lemon," I instructed handing him a knife. He followed my instructions as I placed the chicken portions into an ovenproof dish and washed my hands again.

"I'm finished," he told me proudly,

"Right, now tuck the potatoes and the lemon in with the chicken, and then wash your hands again."

"Is all this hand washing really necessary, Bella?" he asked confused.

"It is unless you want to spend the next few days pebble dashing the toilet," I said with a raised brow.

Edward grimaced and immediately went to the tap to re-wash his hands.

"Right, all we need to do now is make the sauce for it to cook in. Don't worry, Edward, it's easy and takes all of five minutes," I said as I handed him a saucepan. He nodded his head in understanding. A small smile played at my lips at just how well he was taking it all in. He actually seemed interested in me teaching him this.

I handed him two lemons, "Now, cut these in half and squeeze the juice into the saucepan."

My girly parts tingled as I watched him wrap his hands around the lemons. He squeezed them so hard that he drained them of every last drop of juice. I think a small moan may have escaped my lips and Edward's head shot up to look at me as a knowing smile played on his face.

I cleared my throat, "Next we add a large spoon of butter and a decent squirt of honey." I watched as he took the knife and cut off a chunk of butter.

"Is this enough?" he asked.

"That's perfect," I told him before he added it to the pan. He then picked up the honey and started to add it to the pan.

"Woah, that's enough," I told him. "You don't want too much."

I cut a few sprigs of rosemary that I grew in a pot on the counter and threw those in for good measure.

"All we do now is heat it up until the butter melts, and then pour it over the chicken and potatoes," I told him as I checked to see if the oven was preheated.

"Is that it?" Edward asked in amazement.

"That's it!" I told him with a smile. "See, I told you it was easy. Has the butter melted yet?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, what did you say I do now?"

"Just pour it over the chicken and potatoes. Then you add a small amount of salt and pepper and place it in the oven."

Edward did as I instructed and washed his hands again for good measure... I guess my pebble dash warning had hit home!

"That was so easy," he exclaimed, "it literally only took five minutes."

"Exactly, so now you have no reason not to cook for yourself, do you?" I asked.

"If I'd have known it was that easy, I would have done it a long time ago," he told me truthfully.

"All we need to do now is leave it to cook for an hour and turn it over occasionally. We can make the salad when it's just about finished cooking," I took his hand and pulled him back to the sofa.

We sat and Edward pulled me over to him wrapping his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder and we spent the next hour just chatting and getting to know one another. We talked about almost every subject imaginable, from music to films, and about our likes and dislikes.

It carried on as we ate our dinner, which incidentally, Edward loved and vowed to cook it for me again. There were no awkward pauses or silences and by the end of the night as I led him into the bedroom, I secretly let myself hope that there could be a future for the three of us.


	17. Chapter 17

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 17**

Buzzzzzzzzzz.

I groaned as the alarm clock rang, automatically trying to lift my arm to knock the button to switch it off, except I couldn't, my whole body was pinned down by the weight of a body sprawled halfway across me.

"I'll get it," I heard Edward say in his sleep induced haze as he shifted his weight slightly and raised his arm to knock the button.

"Good morning," he mumbled as he rubbed his face and snuggled back into me, his arms finding their way back around my body as he closed his eyes again trying to find more rest.

"Good morning," I whispered back, why I was whispering I don't know. Maybe it was because my throat was dry and sore, I needed a drink!

"Edward," I said quietly.

"Mmm."

"You can't go back to sleep, we need to get up."

He groaned as he rolled over onto his back and attempted to open his eyes, rubbing his face with his hands once again.

I lay watching him with a smile on my face, the sheet had slipped down and the whole of his perfectly sculptured torso was on display. I could easily see the defines of his beautifully muscled six- pack and the start of the bronze hair of his happy trail. I lifted my eyes to look at his face to find him looking back at me. I blushed at my obvious ogling attempts for which I had just been caught.

"See something you like?" he asked with a lopsided grin. His hair was a mess, stuck out in every direction imaginable, but somehow still managing to look good. He had five o'clock shadow growing on his jaw line where he needed to shave. He looked positively edible!

"Maybe," I shrugged, as he launched himself at me peppering hot open mouthed kisses along my collarbone and up my neck.

I moaned feeling his large morning erection as it lay across my thigh.

"Edward."

"Mmm."

"I hate to say it, but we really don't have time for this right now."

He stilled, and placed one last kiss on my lips before rolling onto his back and adjusting himself less than discreetly underneath the sheet.

Looking across at me, he smiled.

"You know, I expected Josh to be the cockblocker, not his mother," he said with a chuckle.

I playfully slapped his shoulder.

"Well, if we carry on doing that, I can assure you that within the next 15 minutes or so, Josh really would have been a cockblocker. Now come on, get up."

"That's exactly what I was trying to do," he said with a grin.

I laughed as I swung my legs out of the bed and grabbed my dressing gown.

"Would you like to shower first?" I asked.

He thought about it. "No, there's no point, I'd only be putting dirty clothes back on. Besides, we can swing by my place before we go into work. I can shower, shave and get changed over there," he said as he rubbed his hand over his stubble.

"Okay."

Edward climbed out of bed, completely naked with his enormous erection pointing straight at me. He knew what he was doing to me when he chuckled as I let out a small whimper. I turned quickly on my heels to check on Josh before jumping into a much needed cold shower.

By 8 am, Leah arrived and we were all set to go. I fed and changed Josh in record time as Edward watched on with curiosity.

"How do you do it, Bella?" he asked as we sped through the traffic heading towards Edward's apartment.

"Do what?"

"Be wonder woman!"

"What?" I asked in confusion as I looked across at him expecting him to be laughing or at least having a smirk on his face, but instead I was met with nothing but serious contemplation.

"How do you manage?" he asked. "Coping with a baby all alone, I've watched you do it and it's not easy. You cook him home-cooked foods rather than buying them in a jar, while still having to cook for yourself and clean an apartment. You hold down a full time job and still have time to make sure that he's happy and well looked after... How do you do it?"

"Um, I don't do anything different than any other mothers out there," I told him in all honesty.

"I've never been around children before," he mused. "I didn't realize just how much hard work they are. Jeez, my mother must be a saint," he chuckled.

I laughed at the thought of Esme having to run around after a trio of boys, who no doubt must have run her ragged.

I agreed with him, "I think your mother did a great job, Edward. I'm surprised that she's not prematurely gray having to deal with you three."

"Between you and me, I think she is," he laughed. "I'm sure her hair color is out of a bottle."

He thought for awhile and commented, "I think I'll send her some flowers."

I smiled to myself at Edward's realization of just how much his mother had done for him over the years.

"Can I ask a personal question?" he asked after a while as he weaved in and out of the traffic.

"Sure," I told him, secretly wishing that he would slow down and stick to one lane.

"How do you cope financially?"

I sucked in a deep breath, "It's not easy. I had an awful pregnancy and had to give up work pretty much from the beginning. Thankfully, I had some money my grandmother left me which enabled me to get the apartment that I'm in now. I know it's nothing special and that it's small, but at least it's safe and warm, and it serves its purpose."

I thought about my words before I continued. "The money was about to run out, so I had no choice but to go back to work."

"I get that, but how do you manage? You're not earning an exceptional wage, yet you have to pay rent and childcare as well as other costs."

"You just have to manage, Edward," I told him. "There's not much left after I've paid everything out, but thankfully Alice helps us both out with clothes. Although that's a whole different conversation entirely," I laughed.

"Yeah, Jasper's told me all about Alice's job and clothing obsession," he laughed. "She sounds scary."

"Not as scary as Rose. Emmett's not going to know what hit him," I said with a grin.

He laughed as he pulled into the underground garage that belonged to the apartment building and parked up in one of several spaces that that had a reserved sign, for _E A Cullen_. "Are these all your cars?" I asked in amazement. Edward blushed and simply nodded his head at the embarrassment of his indulgence.

"Wow," I simply said as I climbed out of the Merc and ran my hand along the body of the Aston Martin DB9.

"You like that?" Edward said as he leaned back against the hood of the Merc watching me drool over the car of my dreams.

"Love it! Oh my God, Edward, it's my dream car! Please tell me that we can go for a ride in this sometime," I asked excitedly as I caressed the bodywork like it was a newborn baby.

"Maybe one weekend when were both free, we can take it out," Edward agreed smiling at me as he took my hand and pulled me away from the car and over to the elevator before I even had chance to look at what else he had.

"Come on." We stepped into the open doors and he pressed the button that simply said Penthouse.

"Penthouse. Edward, you said you lived in an apartment," I choked at the realization of just how rich he really was.

"It is an apartment, Bella, it just happens to be a penthouse apartment," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The elevator doors opened and he pulled my hand again, leading me out into a huge foyer that housed several small tables full of freshly cut flowers, before stopping at the only door on the entire floor.

"Jeez, this place is huge!" I exclaimed as I took in my surroundings. He led me through an entrance hallway which was as big as my whole living and kitchen area combined before bringing me into a semi open plan living space. The whole of one wall was curved and filled from top to bottom with glass windows, and in the middle was a feature wall that housed a fireplace on both sides which separated the comfortable living space from a formal dining area.

"This is unbelievable, Edward," I said as I made my way over to the windows and took in the view of Alki Beach directly below. "It's so beautiful," I whispered more to myself than to Edward who had snuck up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"It certainly is," he whispered as he took the lobe of my ear in his mouth and sucked on it gently, as his hands travelled up over my stomach before cupping my breasts. I shuddered at his touch, his thumbs skimmed backwards and forwards across my nipples making them pebble in want of more.

"We'll be late," I told him although not really caring. "My boss won't be happy."

"Oh, I think you're about to make your boss very happy, Bella," he said as he turned me around to face him. His mouth plunged into mine and I was thrown into the most passionate kiss that we had yet to share. His hands travelled to the buttons of my blouse and one by one he carefully unfastened them before sliding it down my arms and letting it pool into a pile on the floor. Our eyes locked as he reached behind me to slide down the zipper of my skirt before that too joined my blouse. I was standing, clad only in my midnight blue bra and panties and my heels, as Edward took in the sight of me with a deep groan.

"Leave the shoes on," he commanded as I tried to slip my feet out of them. I nodded at his request as my hands travelled around his neck and entwined forcefully into the hair at the nape of his neck.

He grabbed the back of my thighs and lifted me as I wrapped my legs around his waist feeling the straining erection in his pants. Without a word, Edward carried me down a long hallway into the master bedroom and eagerly kicked the door closed with his foot before slamming me forcefully up against it. Our eyes never left one another as he held me with one hand and his fingers found my centre with the other.

"You're so eager for me aren't you, Bella? So wet and ready," he panted as his fingers pushed aside my panties before sliding up and down my folds, gathering up my juices before thrusting two fingers deep inside of me. I groaned as the feeling growing in the pit of my stomach overwhelmed me and travelled south to between my thighs.

"That's it, baby, I need you to come before I put my big thick cock in there and fuck you into oblivion," Edward growled before rubbing my clit with his thumb. He curled his fingers inside of me finding that special spot that did it for me every time and thrust in and out repeatedly. His eyes never left mine as I unravelled around him crying out his name. He brought me down from my orgasm induced stupor before lowering my quivering legs gently to the floor.

Still looking into my eyes he reached across to the table beside the bed and grabbed a condom. All I could do was stare as he pulled off his shirt revealing that wonderful toned body that I loved so much. His pants were next, followed by his boxers, until he was before me completely naked.

Tearing the condom wrapper between his teeth, he took his thick and heavy cock in his hand pumping it several times before sliding the condom over his length.

"Are you ready to be fucked, Bella?" he asked with a slight grin on his face.

I whimpered at his animalistic tone. "I'm always ready for you, Edward, do it... Do it now!"

He didn't need me telling him twice as he lifted me once more off of my feet and held me tightly against the door. I wrapped my legs back around his waist as he pushed his entire length into me with one hard thrust. The heels of my shoes dug into his backside as he slid almost all of the way out of me before pounding back inside, both of us moaning at the contact. I pulled his lips towards me, I needed to feel them on mine, but Edward just shook his head.

"Look at me, Bella, I want you to see exactly what you do to me. I want to see what my body does to you," he said as beads of sweat started to form on his hairline.

Our breathing got heavier, and our moans combined as he pounded into me over and over, his balls slapping against the skin of my thighs with every thrust.

"God, your pussy feels so tight around me. Do you feel it, Bella, squeezing me so hard?"

"YES!" I screamed as my orgasm threatened to overtake me.

"Keep... looking... at... me, I want to see your eyes when I make you come!" he said breathlessly as his pace increased even more.

It felt raw, almost savage like. Neither of us could control ourselves as I moved my legs slightly, digging my heels further into the back of his thighs as I ground myself into him.

My orgasm exploded throughout my body as I screamed his name out repeatedly.

"FUCK!" he yelled as he gave several last thrusts before stilling.

Our eyes were still locked as I felt his cock explode inside me, throbbing repeatedly as he emptied.

I unwrapped my legs from around him and stood shaking on the floor. Pulling my body close to him, he wrapped his arms around me and placed his forehead to mine. We stood holding one another panting for air, eyes still locked, the air around us was charged.

"That was incredible!" I managed to say as my breathing started to calm down.

Edward placed a soft kiss on my lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back and pushing a strand of my hair away from my face.

"Incredible? Bella, there are no words to describe it. I'll never, as long as I live, forget the look in your eyes as I make you cum... Baby, you are so beautiful," he said as he hugged me even tighter, nuzzling his cheek into the crook of my neck.

We stayed like that for what felt like ages, just holding onto one another as though our lives depended on it.

Eventually breaking apart, we both showered... separately, as we couldn't afford to be any later than we already were. Edward quickly shaved while I got dressed and we made it to the office just over an hour late.

We received several curious glances and a few smirks as we walked onto the 17th floor. I blushed my usual shade of beet red, and Edward grinned like a cat that had gotten the cream as we both made our way to our separate offices.

The morning passed quickly, and I threw myself into the work that Edward had given me. I had planned on having a sandwich for lunch, but worked straight through to make up the time that we were late this morning.

By 2 pm I was exhausted. Edward had certainly exerted my energy levels and I was starving. The granola bar that I had eaten did nothing to fill me, and I was so glad when he walked into my office with a chocolate muffin and a hot coffee for both of us.

"Hmm, I needed this! I'm starving, thanks," I told him as I bit into the much needed muffin.

"Haven't you eaten lunch?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Well, I decided to work through lunch to make up for the time we missed this morning," I said, taking another bite while Edward sat in the chair at the other side of the desk eating his muffin.

"Bella, you didn't need to make up any time," he scolded me.

"Yes, I did, Edward. I don't need any special treatment just because of us," I said as I waved my hand between us to emphasize the 'us'! "Besides, I get paid to do my job and that's exactly what I'm doing. I take my job seriously, Edward.

"I know you do," he said exasperated. It was useless trying to argue with me and he knew it.

"I actually came to ask you if Leah could keep Josh a little later on Thursday," he said now smiling at me. "I'd like to take you out for dinner straight from work."

"Oh, I'd love that, but I can't. I'm meeting Rose and Alice to go shopping for Josh's birthday presents." A huge grin spread across my face as I pictured my little man attempting to eat his very first birthday cake.

"It's his birthday?" he asked sounding surprised.

Guilt once again washed over me and I averted my eyes away. "Um, yes, he'll be one on Saturday," I told him. I couldn't do this anymore, I needed to tell him the truth. Was now the right time? There's the old saying... There's no time like the present.

I took a deep breath. "Edward, there's something that we need to talk about."

**A/N **

**Again I would like to thank everyone for your reviews, messages and kind words. I have been blown away by your support and I'm sorry if I haven't yet had a chance to reply to you personally, hopefully I can catch up on some of that this week as I have some time off of work. I might even post one or two extra chapters as well.**


	18. Chapter 18

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 18**

"Edward, there's something that we need to talk about."

"Yeah, what's that?" He took another bite of his chocolate muffin.

"It's about Josh," I started nervously.

"There you are, Edward, I've been looking for you," Esme said as she walked into my office.

I groaned inwardly at the intrusion. I couldn't tell him now, not with Esme hovering around. This needed to be done privately.

"Why, is there a problem?" he asked her.

"No, no problem. I just wondered if you and Bella would consider coming to the house for dinner at some point in the next week or so?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something," he looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"What were you saying, Bella, before we were so rudely interrupted?" he glared at his mother, who was oblivious as she pulled up a chair to join us.

Shit, what was I going to say now? I needed to do some quick thinking. "Um, its okay, it's slipped my mind now anyway."

"You said something about Josh," he reminded me as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, err, yeah! It's just that it's his birthday on Saturday, and I was wondering if you'd like to come along and help us celebrate?" There, that was good, it was plausible.

"Yeah, I'd-" he started before Esme chimed in.

"Oh, little Joshy, it's his birthday! Well, that's wonderful! Are you having a party for him, Bella?" she asked.

"Well, I was just going to invite Edward actually, and I'm sure that Rose and Alice will drop by at some point... I'm not quite sure about my dad," I told her. "If he's not working, he'll probably drive over."

"No good," she scolded. "It's his first birthday. He needs to celebrate it properly, with a party."

"I don't really have to room to throw him a party, Esme," I was getting rather annoyed with her now, and Edward didn't help as he sat there watching our conversation with a knowing grin on his face. I glared at him and the grin was soon wiped away.

"Well, that's just fine," She rubbed her hands together. "We can hold the party at our house. We have plenty of room and it means that you can both stay for dinner afterwards. In fact, you can invite Rose and Alice. I'd love to get to know them, and they can bring Emmett and Jasper. That way all the family will be there to help him celebrate."

"I'm not..." I started but never got around to finishing.

"Now, don't worry about the planning," she interrupted, "I'll sort it all out, you just bring Bella and Joshua along at... shall we say midday?" she told Edward without giving him a chance to answer.

"Right, I'd best go and make plans. Carlisle will be so excited." She said as she virtually ran from the office.

"Sure he will, mom," Edward called after her sniggering at the stunned look on my face.

I scrunched up a piece of paper that was on desk and launched it at his head.

"Don't take it out on me," he laughed. "You're the one who didn't say no."

"I wasn't given a chance," I told him shaking my head.

"How do you think I feel? I had to live with her until I was 21."

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Edward had agreed to stay over at my place on Friday and we would travel to his parents' house together on Saturday. I wasn't looking forward to it. The party that is... not spending the night with Edward, that part I was really looking forward to.

I also really needed to find the right opportunity to tell Edward about Josh. Other than at the office, I wouldn't be seeing him again until Friday and I couldn't tell him then. That was far too close to Josh's birthday, and I still wasn't sure how he would react. The best case scenario would be that he and his family would welcome Josh into their lives with open arms. The worst case being that he doesn't acknowledge him as his son.

I made it home by 5:30 and had a chat with Leah before she left for the evening. Emmett was taking Rose out tonight, so I decided to give her a call before she left work. I wanted to see if he'd told her where they were going and also to check that we were still on for our shopping trip the next day.

"Hello. You bend em I mend em, Rose speaking," she answered.

"Rose, it's Bella,"

"Hiya, Bella, how's things," she asked.

"Great thanks. I was just calling to see if Emmett had mentioned anything about your date tonight."

"Nope," she sounding thoroughly peed off. "All he's said is to dress 'smart casual', like that helps!"

"Well, how about a designer pair of jeans, a really dressy shirt, and some killer heels?" I offered.

"You know where he's taking me, don't you?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge, but I may have an idea," I offered. "And don't you dare ask me to spill because I won't!"

"Bitch, If Edward was taking you somewhere, I'd spill, that's what friends are supposed to do."

"Rose, Edward isn't planning on taking me anywhere, and I'm not spilling so drop it. I've given you a pointer on what to wear... now deal with it." I could hear her huffing and puffing down the other end of the phone.

"Anyway," I continued trying to change the subject. "I mainly phoned to see if we're still on for tomorrow."

"Sure am. Where shall we meet?" she asked sounding a bit more chipper this time.

"How about the Mall, say around 6-ish? Oh, and by the way, Esme is throwing a party for Josh at her house on Saturday at noon. She wants you and Emmett to come along."

"You're kidding," she choked. She was obviously taking a drink at the time. "What is this, 'Meet The Parents' time?

"Obviously," I laughed over her blind panic.

"I don't know why you're laughing, Swan. She's playing doting granny to a kid she doesn't even know she's a granny to."

"Thanks for reminding me, Rose, like I hadn't already thought of that?" I sighed.

"So, still no closer to telling Edward?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, yes. I was going to tell him earlier today, but his mother walked in and the moment was gone."

"Will you tell him before Saturday?" she asked. "Surely if he's going to be at the party, he has a right to know that it's for his own son."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "The only chance I'll have will be on Friday night. How can I tell him then when I don't know what his reaction will be? From what I can gather, Esme is working so hard on getting everything perfect for the party. If I tell Edward and he rejects Josh, then it would all be for nothing and she would be so hurt," I sniffed.

"I can see where you're coming from," she said softly. "I just don't know what to suggest for the best."

"I know Rose, this is such a mess!"

"How about we discuss it tomorrow? I'm sure Alice will have a few ideas up her sleeve." She said trying to cheer me up.

Alice always had ideas up her sleeve, I laughed at the thought. How Jasper puts up with her Lord only knows.

"Thanks, Rose."

"No problem. I'd better finish up here and go and make myself beautiful, I don't want to keep Emmett waiting... Bella?" she asked thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Which underwear do you think he'll prefer?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Rose. Don't go corrupting the poor man on the first date."

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Yeah, whatever, bye, Rose... Have fun tonight, and leave poor Emmett alone."

"Bye, Bells, see you tomorrow."

I could almost see her laughing as she hung up the phone... Poor Emmett didn't know what he was letting himself in for!

I slipped between the covers that night and reached across for the pillow that Edward had slept on the night before. It still smelled of him as I brought it to my chest and hugged it tightly. My mind was whirling about how and when I was going to tell him about Josh. We had grown close over the last few weeks and even more so since we found out about Vegas. I knew that my feelings for Edward were growing rapidly, but despite that, I wasn't quite sure how he felt about me. We got on amazingly well and shared the same sense of humor, liked the same music and had a similar taste in movies. Although we had agreed to take things slowly, we seemed to be spending more and more time together, something that both of us were aware of but never brought up in conversation.

When he wasn't with me, he was all that I could think about and when he was with me, I was the happiest that I'd ever been. I knew that given time I could easily fall in love with him, but could he ever feel the same way about me? I felt his eyes on me the whole time that we were together forever watching me, and when we had sex, they bore into me as if he was trying to reach into my soul. There are no words to describe just what Edward Cullen did to me. He consumed me; he pulled every part of me in and then offered himself in return. Could I already be falling in love with him? Maybe…but there was so much that we needed to work through.

I mulled over the whole "telling him" situation for the millionth time. I decided that Friday would definitely not be the right time. He would no doubt need to get his head around it all and with Josh's birthday being the day after, it could taint the entire day. Saturday was no good either for the same reason, it was Josh's day and I couldn't let anything spoil that. I probably wouldn't see him on Sunday which just left Monday.

I would ask him over for dinner Monday night, put Josh to bed, sit him down and explain everything. He would be leaving for Chicago early Tuesday morning, so that would give him time to sort out his feelings before he returned again late on Thursday. I'm sure that once he got over the initial shock of things, he would want to be an integral part of Josh's life. It was undeniable that there was something strong happening between us, and hopefully he would still want to be a part of mine too.

My mind cast back to the way he looked at me in his apartment that morning, the way he insisted that our eyes never lost contact as he pushed his way into my body and took me over and over again. I felt the familiar stirrings down below, I needed him again, and I needed him now! For the first time since we had been together, I reached across into my bedside drawer and pulled out Roger. It couldn't compare to Edward in any way shape or form, but right at that moment if I closed my eyes, I could pretend that it was him there with me right now.

After work the next day I jumped into a cab and made my way to the mall. Alice and Rose were waiting for me by the doors, and I could see Alice bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, itching to shop before I'd even stepped foot out of the cab. "You're late," she announced scowling at me.

"I had to finish up at work, I can't just leave things and walk away," I told her scowling back. Rose just rolled her eyes. She knew better than to argue with Alice when she was in the mood to shop.

"Right, come on," Alice called as she walked away, waving us over her shoulder for us to follow.

"Whose idea was it to invite her?" Rose shouted loud enough for Alice to hear.

"Suck it up, bitches. Let's get a move on! We don't have all night," Alice was a nightmare to shop with, we both knew it and so did she. After three whole hours of traipsing around from one shop to another, we were finally finished.

"Come on, girls, let's grab something to eat and get home. I haven't even seen Josh since this morning and he'll be in bed now. Poor kid will be thinking that Leah is his mother soon," I said sadly as we made our way to a little pizza place not far from where I lived. Rose had brought her car and Alice had left hers at home, so that we could all carpool.

We ordered a large margarita to share and three virgin cocktails.

"So, how did your date go with Emmett?" I asked curiously.

Rose grinned from ear to ear. "He took me to the vintage car museum, it was fantastic and I think he enjoyed it just as much as I did. Thanks for giving him the advice," she said to me. "I know that it had to be you who told him that I'd always wanted to go."

I nodded my head as the waitress brought us our drinks.

"He wanted to do something that you'd enjoy, so I just pointed him in the right direction," I told her taking a drink of the cocktail... damn, that was good, and so refreshing.

"Did you know that the whole family owns several vintage cars? He told me that he has a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, can you believe that?" She asked excitedly.

"Jasper owns a 1968 Jaguar XKE Roadster," Alice said nonchalantly

"You're kidding me?" Rose said, almost spitting out her drink.

"No, seriously," Alice said "Apparently, Edward has a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible, and something else that I can't remember the name of, and their dad has a 1929 Ford Roadster."

"How the hell do you know all that?" Rose asked obviously in awe.

"Jasper tells me everything," she said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "He says that they're all kept in outbuildings on his parents' estate and that when we go on Saturday, he'll show them to me."

"Wow," Rose said with a shake of her head as she picked up a slice of pizza that the waitress had just brought. "I need to get Emmett to show me those."

It made me realize just how little I actually knew Edward. He liked his cars, I knew that because I'd seen some in the garage below his apartment, but I didn't know that he collected classics. It was something that he'd never mentioned.

"Wait, did you just say his parents' estate?" I asked bewildered. I know that when Esme offered to hold Josh's party she said it would be at their house, but she never mentioned that they had an estate. Neither had Edward for that matter, maybe they just took it all for granted. I knew that as a family, they were super rich, but it had never entered my head as to just how rich they all were.

"Yeah, he says that his parents have lived there like forever. It's where all the boys grew up." Alice informed us.

"Oh, yeah, I'll have to get Emmett to show me his childhood room," Rose said as her eyes glazed over.

"Eww, get your head out of the gutter, you perv." Alice said as I laughed.

"I wonder if that room ever saw any action, apart from his own hand that is!" Rose mused.

"You're so gross," I told her, finishing off my first slice of pizza and picking up another.

"So you're telling me that given a chance you wouldn't jump Jasper or Edward in their teenage beds?" she asked us both with her eyebrows raised.

Alice and I just looked at one another and shrugged our shoulders.

"See," Rose said, "I rest my case!"

Alice polished off her drink. "How's 'Operation Tellbabydaddy' coming along?"

I shook my head in frustration, "I almost told him yesterday but we were interrupted by his mother."

"So what's the latest plan?" Rose asked.

I threw my pizza slice back on the plate suddenly losing my appetite. "I've decided to invite him over to my place on Monday and tell him then. He's working away for a few days after that, so it will give him a chance to think it over."

Rose nodded, "Yeah, Emmett mentioned something about them going to Chicago,"

"Well, as long as you get it out there in the open, that's all that matters. I hate having to keep things from Jasper," Alice piped up.

"Alice, this isn't about you," Rose scolded.

"I never said it was," she said, giving Rose a death glare. "It's just that when shit hits the fan, it's obvious that Jasper will ask me questions. He'll know that I've known about this ever since that night at the club and that I've kept it from him."

"But surely he'll understand that it's not your secret to tell?" Rose offered, pondering over what Alice had just said.

"Listen, guys," I said, getting a little upset at how this could affect both of their relationships, "I never meant to drag you both into this and I'm sorry."

"Aww, don't worry about us," they both said as they scooted around the table and put their arms around me. "It will all turn out good in the end," Alice said, giving me a warm smile. Rose gave me a rub on the back before moving back to her seat. "Yeah, and if it doesn't, I'll kick Edward's ass," she said with a huge grin.

Friday at work was non-eventful. I was glad when 4:30 came around and Edward told me to finish up for the weekend.

"Are you ready?" He stood leaning in the doorway to my office holding his suit jacket and his car keys.

I smiled at him as I grabbed my purse, "Sure am."

It was just after 5 by the time we made it back to my apartment. Edward opened the trunk and pulled out several bags. "What's all this?" I asked curiously as he passed me a couple to carry.

"My overnight things, a change of clothes, and Josh's birthday presents," he said, slamming the trunk closed."I'm not going to leave them in the car overnight."

"You bought Josh presents?" I was overwhelmed by the thought that he wanted to give Josh something on his birthday.

"Of course I bought him something, why wouldn't I?" he asked as we reached my apartment, seeming confused by my question.

"No reason, I just didn't expect it, that's all," I said as I let us both in.

Leah and Josh were back from the playgroup early, and they were both sitting on the floor while he played with his favorite fire truck as we walked in.

The minute he saw me, his whole face lit up, he had only seen me briefly the day before and for an hour or so before work this morning. He scrambled quickly onto his knees and shot across the room towards me. "Momma," he said as he came to a stop when he reached my legs. I dropped the bags that I was carrying and scooped him up into a bear hug. Edward took that as his cue to pick all the bags up and put them safely in the bedroom, before coming back out and ruffling Josh's hair which was already stuck up at all angles just like his own.

My heart melted when Josh looked up at Edward and held his arms out to him for a cuddle, seemingly forgetting all about not having seen his mommy in like forever!

"Someone's glad to see me," Edward laughed as he took Josh from my arms and carried him back to the fire truck. I stood there for what seemed like ages just watching the two of them interact with one another.

"Bella, um, Bella?"

"Oh, sorry, Leah, did you say something?" I asked, still unable to move my eyes away from the two of them.

"Yeah, I said I'm going to get going. I'll see you on Monday."

"What? Oh, yeah, right, okay," I mumbled as I saw her to the door.

"I've left a present for Josh's birthday on your bed. I'm sorry I can't make it tomorrow," she said looking sad.

"You didn't have to get him anything, but thank you anyway." I gave her a hug which she returned, "and don't worry about tomorrow, you spend more than enough time with him as it is. You do have a life of your own to lead you know," I told her truthfully.

She smiled and blushed. "I've actually got a date tomorrow," she whispered shyly.

"That's fantastic, who's the lucky guy?"

"His name's Embry. He's a single dad and I met him at Josh's playgroup,"

"I'm so happy for you, Leah." If anyone deserved to find happiness, it was Leah. "You know that I'm going to want all the details on Monday, don't you?" I teased.

She nodded her head and blushed once more before I pulled her in for another hug. "Have a wonderful time and I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, see you Monday," she said as she walked away waving before I closed the door. I really hoped it all worked out for her.

Edward and Josh were as thick as thieves for the rest of the evening. They played all sorts of games, that is, Edward did while Josh sat looking bemused half of the time.

At 6:30 dinner was ready and I sat Josh in his high chair at the table. Edward and I were having lasagna and Josh was having lasagne mush, which even though it tasted the same as ours, looked disgusting.

Edward roared with laughter every time I gave Josh a spoonful, he attempted to chew smacking his lips together and kicking his legs every time the spoon came to his mouth. By the time that he was finished, I had one very satisfied son who was wearing more lasagne sauce around his face than he had in his stomach.

Edward wiped Josh's face while I cleaned up the kitchen. Eventually it was time to get him ready for bed when we bathed him together, and then I held him as usual until he fell asleep.

"Is he down?" Edward asked as I walked into the kitchen after putting Josh to bed for the night.

"Yeah, I thought he was going to wake up for a moment, but he just stirred and stayed asleep." I watched as Edward pulled a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator and the corkscrew out of the drawer. His shirt tightened across his biceps as he started to remove the cork from the bottle, and it was an automatic reaction when I licked my lips at the sight of him. He laughed as he lifted his head and caught my obvious ogling.

"Someone's eager," he said as I reached into the cupboard and grabbed two glasses.

I had no apologies, "Yeah, well, you shouldn't look so hot if you don't want me to ogle you."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead, "You think I'm hot?"

"I'm not going to stroke your ego, Edward."

"No, but maybe later you'll stroke something else," he said chuckling to himself as I playfully pushed him away.

He took my hand in his and grabbed the wine with the other. "Bring the glasses, baby,"

Baby! Where did that come from? I had absolutely no idea, but I liked it. I did as he asked as he led me over to the sofa and poured us each a glass.

"How about some music or a movie?"

"Sure, let's see what you've got," he moved over to the entertainment unit and started to rifle through the CD's and DVD's. "Seriously, Bella?" he said holding up one of my Buffy the vampire slayer DVD's.

I gave him an evil glare, "Don't knock the Buffy."

"It's not Buffy I'm knocking, it's that weird blonde vampire guy,"

I gasped and held my hand over my heart. "Not Spike? Don't you diss the Spike, Edward Cullen! He holds a very firm place in my heart."

"Well, at least he doesn't sparkle," he laughed making fun of the Twilight DVD's that he was now holding in his hand.

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly as he continued going through my collection.

"Arr, now you're talking," he said pulling Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom out of its case and placing it in the DVD player.

"You've seriously just mocked my vampire obsession, and you want to watch a middle-aged geek who's scared of snakes?" I asked with a raised brow.

"It's educational!" he stated seriously. "It's full of historical myth and legends."

I glared at him as he sat back down on the sofa before handing me the remote.

"Press play, Bella," he grinned before picking up his wine.

We sat and cuddled while we watched the film. I had my head resting on his shoulder and would occasionally feel his lips as he turned and kissed the top of my head. By the time the film had finished, I was half asleep and yawning,

"Come on, let's get you to bed before you fall asleep on the sofa," Edward said as he turned everything off for me and locked up. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

I agreed as I stood and made my way to the bathroom, and then I peeked into Josh's room to check on him before I turned in for the night.

"Goodnight, baby. Happy Birthday," I whispered as I gave him a gentle kiss. Edward was standing in the doorway watching me as I turned around.

"He's your entire world, isn't he?" he said as I closed the door.

"Of course he is, but it doesn't mean that I don't have room for anyone else," I smiled at him as he took my hand and led me to the bedroom.

We slipped between the sheets and Edward pulled me to his chest as he kissed my forehead. "Get some sleep, Baby, you need it."

I gave him a squeeze as I nuzzled my face into his chest and closed my eyes.

"Bella," I heard him say softly just as I was dropping off.

"Hmm,"

"Tomorrow, will you both stay the night at my place?"

**A/N**

**I know, I know. Don't string me up alive, everyone is so eager for Edward to find out about Josh, but as I've said before this story is fully written so for me to go back and alter it now would have caused a major upheaval. **

**So before you all decide to feed me to the wolves, and as a thank you for all of the amazing reviews I've decided to put you and poor Edward out of his misery. I'll be posting this chapter as well as 19 and 20 back to back.**

**Happy reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 19**

The next morning was hectic to say the least. Edward and I both showered separately because if we'd have taken it together, we would have been in there all day. I got Josh ready after having a huge cuddle first while I sang an out-of-tune version of 'Happy Birthday'. He looked completely bemused at that and so did Edward, who sat and gave him his breakfast while I packed up the mountain of bags and boxes that we had to take to Esme's. In addition to all that, we also had to pack up the travel cot and the overnight things we needed to take over to Edward's apartment.

"Do you think we should give him his presents now? It will save us having to take them all to your parents' house later," I asked as we sat at the table eating a late breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt. Even though Josh had already eaten, he still sat in his high chair beside us happily munching away on several small pieces of banana that I'd chopped up for him. He squashed them between his fingers before attempting to put them in his mouth making a mess as he did so.

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. I've already got my gifts for him here as well, and you're right, it will save us having to carry even more things," he said eyeing the pile of bags, boxes and essentials that were by the door.

I cleaned up Josh while Edward rifled through the bags to find the presents.

"Here they are!" He lifted up several beautifully wrapped gifts with a huge grin spread across his face. Some of them were incredibly large, and I wondered if we would have even been able to fit everything into the car. He looked so excited, like a kid in a candy store, as he carried the bags and boxes over to the coffee table which he pushed to one side before spreading the presents out on the floor.

I carried Josh over and sat cross legged on the floor with Edward sitting opposite. "Just look at the amount of gifts, Edward. I think between us, we must have bought a whole toy shop," I commented as Josh bounced up and down in my lap eagerly eyeing up the brightly colored wrapping paper.

"You think this is bad, wait until you see what my mother has in store," he rolled his eyes and grimaced.

I shuddered at the thought. Esme did have a tendency to take things overboard. "Do you think she'll have gone all out with the party?"

Edward grinned. "Have you met my mother?"

He didn't need to say anymore, and I had a feeling that this whole 'small' tea party was going to turn into a giant circus. Esme is the type of woman who would take an inch and run for a mile with it.

Edward passed us the first of Josh's gifts which was large and wrapped in shiny blue metallic paper, with a matching ribbon and a bow tied around it. Josh kicked his legs and started to bang on the box with his hands.

"Come on, kiddo, let's get this paper off and see what's inside," I said slipping my fingers underneath a corner of the paper lifting up a section so that Josh could grab it and pull it away. It took ages before he managed to remove all of it, and I made a mental note to unwrap the rest myself and just give him the toy.

"Oh, Edward, he's going to love this," I said pulling out a toy piano that lit up and made different sounds as each key was pressed. As if on cue, Josh pressed one of the keys and giggled at the high pitched note that it made, complete with flashing green light.

"I think he likes it," I said as Josh pressed another key, this time it was a lower note which flashed red. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. It was the woman at the store who recommended it because I didn't have a clue what I was doing," he chuckled. "I've never shopped for a baby before."

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Well, she advised you very well."

We worked our way slowly through the rest of the gifts. Edward had also bought Josh a baby swing that could be hung from the doorway of his room, a busy ball popper, and a smart trike 3-in-1 that would grow with him, which needed some assembling. He also gave him the cutest pair of baby chucks in navy blue, which I myself was quite envious of.

I had bought him several outfits, a shape sorter walk along toy, which would come in handy now that Josh was walking along, and a bounce and spin zebra which he absolutely adored. I think between the two of us we had managed to overwhelm the little guy, and it wasn't long before he had abandoned all of his new found toys and was happily sitting inside one of the cardboard boxes, kicking his legs.

Edward loaded up the car while I put Josh into his party outfit which consisted of a beautiful pair of stonewash denim jeans, with a navy blue button down soft cotton shirt, and the navy chucks that Edward had bought him looked adorable and finished the outfit off perfectly. He actually looked like a mini Edward and I prayed that neither he nor anyone else noticed. At least not until after I told him on Monday.

I put Josh into his car seat and buckled him in before sliding into the back seat beside him. Edward drove carefully, which made me chuckle because usually he drove like a maniac. We arrived at his parents' house around 40 minutes later and I gasped as we drove through the gates.

"Edward, this isn't a house, it's a freaking mansion!"

He laughed, "This is just home, Bella, and by the way, that's another dollar in the swear jar."

"Freaking isn't swearing."

"It is now, and you'd best make that two dollars," he said giving me a lopsided grin through the rear view mirror.

We pulled up outside the front of the house and I quickly unbuckled Josh and lifted him out. "We can leave everything in the trunk, it's just the things that we'll need for my apartment later," Edward said as he came around the car and placed one arm around my shoulders.

"I'll still need his changing bag," I told him, unable to take my eyes off of the magnificent stately colonial house that stood before me. It was white and stood two stories high, three if you counted the attic.

"This place is huge. Did you really live here growing up?" I asked as Edward walked back to the trunk to get the changing bag.

"Yup," He popped the "p" as he said it.

"Wow."

"Come on," he laughed. "Let's get this show on the road."

He took my hand while I held Josh in the other and guided me through the huge, wooden oak front door into a magnificent hallway. It was painted white with a beautiful curved wooden staircase that led up to a stunning leaded arched window at the top. An enormous crystal chandelier, hung from the ceiling, was casting light on the polished wooden floor below.

"There you are!" Esme called as she walked through a doorway directly in front of us. "Come here, Birthday Boy," she bent slightly holding her arms out for Josh who surprising went straight to her. "We're going to have lots of fun this afternoon. We have lots to play with and a big birthday cake too," she said to him in one of those high pitched voices that people seem to do when they talk to a baby.

She straightened up and gave Edward a kiss on the cheek before pulling me into a motherly one armed hug. "Thank you for letting me do this, Bella."

"It should be me who's thanking you," I said hugging her back.

"Nonsense, any excuse to have a party." She adjusted Josh so that he was sitting more comfortably on her hip. "Do you two want to grab a drink and make your way out back? Everyone's already here and I have to say, Bella, your dad is such a charmer."

"He's here already?" I asked surprised.

"Yes, he arrived about twenty minutes ago, and the lady who's with him is lovely. I think we're really going to hit it off. Carlisle's chatting with them now," she said as she disappeared back through the door that she came from.

"What's wrong, Bella, you've gone pale?" Concern showed on Edward's face.

"Um, nothing," I chuckled nervously. "It's just that I've never known my dad to date!" _In fact, he never mentioned it at all when I had phoned him with the invite._

"Well, it looks like this will be an afternoon of first's then," he placed a light kiss on my lips.

"What do you mean?"

"You're getting to meet your father's date and he's getting to meet yours," he said without a trace of nerves... "Come on, you'll be fine."

He dragged me behind him into an enormous kitchen which, in all truthfulness, was as big as my entire apartment.

I didn't really focus on my surroundings as I was still in shock over my father having a date. In all of my years, I had never known dad to even show an interest in any of the women around town. My mom had left us when I was little. Apparently she was a livewire and couldn't handle the responsibility of being tied down with a husband and a child. Dad had been left to raise me alone. It hadn't been easy for him, but he was a fantastic dad. I never saw my mother again although she did send me the occasional birthday card over the years when she remembered. In any case, she wasn't a taboo subject, and dad had often shown me photographs of their wedding and of us as a family until she left.

Edward handed me a drink of homemade lemonade, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little shocked I suppose," I sipped my drink which was so refreshing. "Come on, let's get this over with," I smiled at him. "Time to meet the parents."

We walked out back and I gasped in amazement, everything was decked out in blue and white. Balloons were tied to every surface imaginable. Tables full of food were adorned in white table cloths with blue ribbons wrapped around the edges. Even the trees had blue and white lights covering every branch.

"Oh, my," I said to Edward as he sniggered at the sight that stood before us. "You weren't kidding when you said she'd go all out."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me tightly to his side while placing a kiss on my forehead. "Is that your father?" he asked nodding his head over to a table where Carlisle and Esme were sitting with my father and another woman with long black hair, who I'm presuming must be his date. My dad looked happy as Josh stood in his lap, bouncing his little body up and down, and giggling as his grandpa blew a raspberry onto his cheek.

I scanned the yard quickly as we made our way over to my dad. Everyone was here. Rose and Emmett gave me a wave from over by the barbeque which was giving off some delicious smells, and Alice and Jasper were in deep conversation with Angela and Ben. Even Shelly, Mike, Irena, and Victoria from the office were here, along with several other people that I didn't know.

"Bella," Dad said cheerfully scooping Josh into his arms as he rose to give me a hug.

"Hi, dad, I see you found it okay."

"Yeah, no problem at all, thanks to that GPS that you bought me last year. This must be Edward," He said eyeing him up and down before extending his hand out for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Chief Swan," Edward said politely as he shook dad's hand. "I see you're already acquainted with my parents."

"Yes, darling, we've made introductions," Esme said to Edward, still sitting at the table chatting with Carlisle and the dark haired woman.

"Yes, we already met," dad confirmed. "But, err, Bella, Edward, I would like you both to meet my good friend, Sue Clearwater."

I narrowed my eyes at him questioningly, and he gave me a look that said, _'not now, Bella'_ as he ferociously blushed, something that I had obviously inherited from him. Edward must have noticed because I could see him fighting the corners of his mouth from curling upwards. I gave him a subtle dig in the ribs with my elbow, and he winced slightly.

"It's lovely to meet you, Bella, I've heard so much about you," Sue rose from her chair and gave me a friendly hug_... I wish I could say the same about you!_

"It's nice to meet you too, Sue. This is Edward, my err boss, and date." Now it was my turn to blush.

They shook hands and Edward gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

Josh, who was still in my father's arms reached out for Edward, who took him immediately. I could see my dad's brows rise up questioningly, but to give him credit he never said anything.

"I'll just go and take him over to the play area and keep him occupied while you two get acquainted," he told us as he nodded his head over to a little play area that Esme must have set up in a corner of the garden.

"Ok, don't be long," I whispered in his ear as he bent his head and gave me a kiss on the lips right in front of my father. The man must have a serious death wish as I could see dad glaring from the corner of my eye.

"We won't," he whispered back before walking away.

I took a seat at the table and soon found myself enjoying everyone's company, Sue was a riot, and I could see why dad was so enamoured with her. She was warm and friendly and had a wicked sense of humor. The conversation flowed freely, and I learned that Sue was a widow. She and dad had met at the diner where she worked, and they had hit it off immediately. I was so pleased that he had finally found someone to share his life with, and apparently they had been together for around 6 months. I wouldn't question him on why he hadn't mentioned her sooner, and it was really none of my business anyway.

I kept glancing over to Edward, who was at that moment helping Josh climb the steps onto the baby slide. He held both his hands tightly as Josh one by one placed his little feet on each step, his face in deep concentration until he reached the top, where Edward sat him down and then gently pulled him down the slide until he hit the safety mat at the bottom. They repeated the process several times until Emmett walked over and took charge. Edward stood up straight and stretched his back which no doubt hurt from him having to lean over for so long. It was wonderful to see the two of them together, and it was obvious that both of them had developed a strong bond to each other over the last week or so. In my mind I was now quite sure that when I did tell Edward that he was Josh's father, he would welcome him with open arms. Hopefully then we could move on and become a family.

The conversation soon turned to fishing and Carlisle took dad and Sue down to the boathouse. Apparently Carlisle would often spend hours of a weekend on the lake that stretched out from the bottom of their garden. This of course made Carlisle my dad's new best friend as the three of them sauntered off talking about rods, reels, floats and bait as they went. Esme stayed behind to mingle with the guests as I made my way over to chat to Rose, Alice, Jasper, Angela and Ben, who were all sitting around a table drinking wine which Jasper had raided from his father's wine cellar. Edward joined us shortly after and sat beside me as we watched Emmett pushing Josh, who was now firmly fastened into a baby swing.

He grabbed a hold of my hand underneath the table and placed it into his lap drawing patterns onto my palm. He had been so attentive over the last couple of days, and it felt as though life was finally falling into place and that place was with Edward. I knew that my feelings for him had grown considerably over the last few weeks, but it was now as I looked up and saw the sheer happiness on his face as he watched Joshua giggle away in the swing, that I realized what I was actually feeling was love. I had fallen head over heels in love with Edward Cullen, the father of my child!

The next few hours passed quickly, Josh loved being the center of attention, and he was being passed from pillar to post as everyone wanted a cuddle with the birthday boy. Once Carlisle returned from the boathouse with dad and Sue, Esme decided to declare it card and present opening time. Everyone was so generous and I had a very spoiled one year old on my hands. Esme and Carlisle had bought him all the toys in the play area which they insisted would stay there for when Josh came to visit. They also gave him a ride on train that made a 'choo choo' noise for him to take home. Rose gave him a toy mechanic's set so that he could 'mend' his own cars, and Emmett gave him a baby-sized baseball kit. Alice and Jasper predictably gave him lots and lots of new clothes, and dad and Sue bought him several books as dad knew just how much we loved our bedtime routine. Angela and Ben had given him a caterpillar pull-along toy, and he also received a set of fantasy building blocks from my friends at work and some bath time squirting toys from Edward's cousin Garrett and his wife, Jane, who he had introduced me to earlier. How we were going to get everything home was anyone's guess.

I was however taken aback when Angela handed me one last gift to open along with a letter. I felt tears spring to my eyes as I read it.

_Dear Bella and Josh,_

_It breaks my heart that I cannot be with you on such an important day in little Joshua's life. It hardly seems like two minutes ago that he was just a tiny babe in your arms and now he truly is what you, Bella, like to call your 'little man'. I pondered for a long time on what I could give such an important little guy on his very first birthday. Nothing that sprung to mind seemed appropriate or good enough for such a special occasion, but then I had a Eureka moment. I truly hope that you enjoy and treasure my gift for many years to come._

_I love you both and will always be here for you for as long as I live._

_Lots of Love,_

_Jake_

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands as Angela came and put her arms around me giving me a much needed cuddle. "You knew about this all along didn't you?" I asked her attempting a laugh which came out more like a choking sob.

"Yes," she nodded. "I knew what he had planned, but the gift didn't arrive until a couple of days ago... come on then, open it," she said excitedly giving my arm an encouraging squeeze. All eyes were on me as I looked at Edward, who now had Josh in his arms. He too gave me an encouraging nod of the head.

I slowly peeled back the wrapping paper to reveal a large plain cardboard box. I fought my way past the tape securing it together and was faced with thousands of protective polystyrene balls, and as I dug my hands inside, I felt something wrapped tightly in bubble wrap. Carefully I removed the gift and gently removed it from its safety cushion.

"Oh, Jake," I whispered to myself as I gazed down onto not one, but three individually framed black and white portrait photographs of Josh. He must have taken them when he was staying at Angela's when she had him overnight. They were spectacular, one was of Josh sitting up and smiling straight into the camera lens, another was of him laughing at something, completely unaware of the photograph being taken, and the third, my favorite, was of him fast asleep cuddled up to his favorite teddy bear.

I felt a single tear roll down my face as everyone around me commented on how wonderful the gift was. Edward wrapped his arms around me after passing Josh to my dad and asked if I was alright.

"I'm fine," I told him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Just a little overwhelmed, that's all. I should really give Jake a call and thank him for being so thoughtful."

"I think that's a great idea," he said giving me a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the forehead. "How about you go to the bathroom, get cleaned up, and give him a call from there."

"Ok, I will," I said giving my eyes another quick wipe.

"You might want to take Josh with you, his diaper stinks," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes but laughed with him. "Where's the bathroom?" I asked as I took Josh from my dad.

"It's ok, I'll show her," Emmett boomed. "I need to go inside anyway. Jasper say's it's my turn to raid dad's cellar."

"I heard that!" Carlisle said, clearly not amused.

"What's the point in having a wine cellar if you're not going to drink the stuff?" Emmett argued.

He definitely had a point there and Carlisle looked a little put out that he didn't have a reply for him.

"Great, come on, Bells, I'll show you where to go," Emmett said obviously enjoying his father's unease.

He led me into the house and up the curved staircase to the guest bathroom. "Here you go," he said as he opened the door for me.

"Thanks, Emmett."

"No worries. Actually, Bella," he said looking rather nervous all of a sudden. "I was wondering if you could come and see me on Monday,"

"Yeah, sure, is there a problem?" I asked curiously.

"No, no problem, there's just something that I'd like to discuss with you, in private!"

"Well, yeah, that's fine," I was rather curious but I wasn't about to ask him what it was about as he clearly didn't want to discuss it right at this moment. He probably needed some more 'Rose' advice. "I'll pop in first thing. Shall I bring doughnuts?" I laughed.

"Well, I'd be rather offended if you didn't," he boomed.

"Ok, breakfast it is. I best get this little man's butt changed before he stinks your parents' house out," I said half jokingly and half serious.

"Yeah, I think you're right, he doesn't half reek," he ruffled Josh's hair. "I'll see you back downstairs."

"Happy Birthday, dear Joshua, Happy Birthday to you," we all sang in unison while Josh just stared googly-eyed at the cake that Esme held in front of him with one lone candle flickering away on it. I blew it out for him, and everyone gave a round of applause as Esme took it back to the table in order to cut everyone a slice.

I mingled with the guests with Josh while Edward sat and chatted with Garrett and Jane. It had been a fun day, but a long one as Josh only had a 20 minute nap during the whole time we were there. He was now starting to get a little bit grizzly. Just 15 minutes later and he was having a full blown tantrum.

"Edward," I said as I walked over to the table with Josh kicking and screaming in my arms, acknowledging Garrett and Jane, "I hate to break up the party, but I think this little one has had too much excitement for one day."

"I can see that," he laughed as I attempted to hold on to my squirming son.

"Hey, enough of that!" he said to Josh in a soft yet commanding voice.

Josh instantly stopped all movement and looked at Edward confused.

"See, that's all it took," he told me smugly right before Josh started to scream the house down. Garrett and Jane almost fell out of their chairs at the sheer look of embarrassment on Edward's face.

I shook my head at him and tried to stop my lips from curling at the corners. "Yes, Edward, that's all it took. One word from you and he does as he likes!"

"I'll go and load up the car," he said as he stood and gave me a kiss as he ruffled Josh's hair, but gave him a look as if to say 'traitor.'

I did the rounds with Josh and thanked everyone for coming before pulling Esme into huge hug. "Thank you so much for everything," I told her in all sincerity.

"Oh, nonsense, I've loved every minute of it," she took Josh from me for one last cuddle.

"So have I," Carlisle said coming up behind her and also pulling me into a big hug.

"And now that Josh has his own little play area, there's absolutely no reason that you can't visit more often, is there?" Esme had a glint in her eye.

"You had that all planned out, didn't you?" I smirked at her.

"Of course she did," Carlisle said as he placed his arms around his wife. "You know how devious she is!"

Esme tried to look innocent but she didn't manage to pull it off, and instead she quickly changed the subject. "So you're going to get this little one home to bed? He's had a long day."

"Actually," I blushed, "we're not going home tonight. We're staying with Edward."

"Really!" Carlisle and Esme both said together in surprise as Edward appeared at my side and took Josh who was still fighting sleep from his mother's arms.

"The cars loaded up," he told me. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah, we just need to go and say our goodbye to my dad and Sue," I told him as I pulled Esme and Carlisle into yet another hug and thanked them once more.

My dad and Sue were chatting with Alice and Jasper over by the food table as we made our way over. "We've come to say goodbye and to thank you for coming," I said as we hugged one another within an inch of our lives.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I'm so proud of both of you," dad sniffed as he took Josh from Edward's arms and gave him a huge hug and a kiss, before shaking Edward's hand.

"It was good to meet you, son, make sure you drive carefully with these two. They're precious cargo," he insisted.

Edward heartily agreed, "I'll look after them, Chief Swan, no need to worry about that."

"I know you will, son, and please, call me Charlie."

"Charlie it is," Edward smiled warmly before we both said our goodbyes to Sue and the others.

We waved goodbye to everyone and made our way to the car. Josh was now screaming at full volume due to being overtired, and I assured Edward that he would fall asleep in the car once it started moving. True to my word, after only a few minutes on the road, my little man was out for the count with his head lolled to the side. It had been a long and exhausting day for him.

It was 7 pm by the time we reached Edward's apartment. He left most of the presents in the trunk of the car and placed a few of the smaller ones in with Josh's bag of clothes and he carried that, his changing bag, and the travel cot while I carried Josh. Once we were inside, Edward went back down to the car to retrieve another couple of bags, and I got Josh ready for bed. I decided against bathing him as he was still asleep, so instead I woke him slightly as I washed him, brushed his teeth, and got him settled into his pajamas. Edward made up the travel cot and placed it in the master bedroom, so if Josh woke during the night, he would be able to see us and wouldn't be as scared of the strange surroundings.

"That was one long day," I said rubbing the back of my neck as I slumped down onto the sofa in the open plan living area after placing Josh down for the night.

"Wine?" Edward asked from over by the kitchen.

"Oh, God, yeah, that would be lovely."

"Are you hungry? I could order take out," he walked over to hand me a glass.

"Are you kidding? I've eaten enough food to last me a month."

"I think Emmett ate enough for everyone," he said as he poured the wine. "I'm not hungry either, but I still thought it would be best to check."

I took a sip and moaned, "That is so good."

He looked at the label. "I've not tried this one before. I plucked two from the wine cellar. You're right, it is good," he said taking a sip.

"You have a wine cellar?"

"Not strictly. I live in a penthouse, so technically speaking it's more of a wine room."

"Oookay," I still hadn't wrapped my head around the idea of Edward's wealth, and it was casual reminders such as this that brought it all home to me.

We snuggled up together on the sofa as Edward picked up a remote control and turned down the lights to a dim glow. He pressed another button and the fireplace sprung to life giving off a romantic flickering flame effect. The silence in the room was comfortable as we cuddled and sipped our wine.

"It's been a tiring day," Edward eventually said breaking the silence. "I think Josh enjoyed himself though."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I can't wait to look at all the photographs that we took, and I really can't thank your mom enough, she made it really special."

He picked up the wine and poured us both another glass. "She enjoyed every minute of it."

"I've no doubt that she did. I should be thanking you too. It wouldn't have been half as special without you there." I kissed his cheek and snuggled a little closer into him.

He hugged me a little tighter, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

We sat and chatted for around an hour before I let out a little yawn.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Just a little, I ache more than anything," I said rubbing my feet.

"How about I go and run us a nice hot bath?"

"Sounds great," I told him, "but won't it wake Josh up?"

He thought for a moment, "You go and grab what you need and I'll run a bath in one of the guest bathrooms."

"Good thinking," I said as he pulled me up and led me down a long hallway before pointing to a room across from his own.

"We can use the bathroom in here."

"Okay, I'll just be a few minutes," I tiptoed in to his bedroom quietly so as not to wake Josh. I grabbed a hair tie and a few hair clips and quickly put my hair up into a bun, so that it wouldn't get wet. I shed my clothes, carefully folding them up and placing them on a chair in a corner of the room, throwing on a dressing gown that was hanging in a closet in Edward's master bathroom. I pulled a vest and a pair of shorts out of my overnight bag and tiptoed back out of the room and into the guest bedroom across the hall.

I could hear the sound of running water as I laid my night clothes out onto the bed. The smell of jasmine scented bubbles wafted throughout the air. Edward was already in the bathroom. He had placed the baby monitor onto a unit by the bathroom door, so that we could easily hear Josh if he woke up.

"Did you get everything?" Edward asked as I walked into the steam covered room and removed my dressing gown. I could feel Edward's eyes roaming my body as he climbed into the sunken bath offering his hand out to me.

"Yeah, and Josh is sound asleep, I don't think he'll wake up for hours," I said taking his hand and sliding my body into the hot water in front of his.

I sat between his legs and laid my head back onto his chest, his arms curled around my stomach as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I could get used to this," I smiled as I gathered up a handful of bubbles and spread them across my chest, I could feel the aches in my body melting away.

"It would have been nicer if we could have used the Jacuzzi bath in the master bathroom, but this one will do just fine," he said as he drew patterns in the bubbles on my body. He reached for the soap and lathered up his hands before washing my body from head to toe paying extra attention to my girly parts. I smiled and kissed his lips as I turned around to face him.

I lathered up my hands. "My turn," I said as I ran my soapy hands along his chest and down his arms, he let out a throaty moan as my hands reached his thighs and continued down his legs towards his feet and back up again. I soaped up my hands again and straddled his lap, as I reached behind him and pulled him forward towards me, I ran my hands up and down his back massaging his muscles as I went.

"I need you, Bella," he whispered as his hips brushed mine with the gentlest of kisses.

"I need you too, Edward."

I heard the gurgle of the plug as the water emptied around us, and he placed his hands on my hips to gently lift me off of him. The cool air hit me and I shuddered as Edward stood and wrapped a huge white fluffy towel around my body, patting me dry before reaching for a towel of his own. He rubbed his body and his cock stood erect as he removed the towel and threw it into the laundry hamper.

Leading me by the hand he took me into the guest room where he turned out the lights and switched on the feature fire, which cast a soft glow over the entire room. He strode naked towards me and cupped my face with both of his hands, our eyes locked and the jade green of his had darkened, but what I saw wasn't lust or need, it was something more, what? I wasn't quite sure and I didn't have time to process it as he removed my towel and let it fall to the floor before lifting me bridal style and placing me softly on to the bed.

He crawled on beside me and reached for my hair, pulling the tie and clips away so that it fell free over my shoulders. His eyes never left mine as he ran a hand through the loose strands repeatedly.

"I never thought that I would find someone like you, Bella," he spoke softly before lowering his face to mine kissing me passionately. My hands reached up and gripped his hair pulling him closer to me as his hand travelled lower and found my right breast massaging it gently. He rolled my nipple between his thumb and pointer finger sending electricity throughout my body. My back automatically arched in response as I groaned into his mouth. His tongue urged me to let him in and I complied instantly opening my mouth to give him entrance.

Climbing on top of me, his hand left my breast and trailed lightly over my stomach until he found the bundle of nerves between my legs. Running his fingers up and down between my folds teasingly, he gathered up my juices before rolling and pinching my clit until he had me on the edge of orgasm. My body squirmed with need as my hands ran down his back and gripped firmly onto his buttocks, squeezing them and pulling his body closer to mine.

He knew what he was doing as he thrust two and then three fingers inside of me, pumping them furiously and I writhed beneath him.

"GOD, EDWARD, YESSSS, JUST LIKE THAT," I moaned as he curled his fingers inside of me and repeatedly hit my most sensitive spot.

"Come for me, Bella, I need to see you," he said roughly as I closed my eyes and threw my head back screaming his name repeatedly as my whole body shook with delight.

He held me close while my body calmed down. "That was beautiful to watch," he said as he kissed and nibbled at my jaw and throat. "To know that your body is so responsive to me is such a turn on," he lifting his body weight slightly as he rolled on a condom. "I love that when you come, it's my name that you scream," he said as he watched my eyes roll back as he gently pushed into me, stilling for a moment to let me adjust to him. "And I love that it's my arms that you will wake up to in the morning." He slowly withdrew himself almost all the way out before plunging back in again, setting himself a slow and gentle rhythm. I wrapped my legs around him and met each of his thrusts, lifting my hips each time to pull him in deeper.

Something had changed between us, sex was always wild and passionate, but this was different. This was the Edward from Vegas, gentle, passionate, and loving. Flashbacks from that night shot before my eyes, things that I had never remembered before, images of the way he took my body to places that it had never been.

He looked into my eyes as each thrust of his body took me closer and closer to the edge. "I want you so much, Edward," I cried as a loan tear escaped my eyes and slid down my cheek. He kissed it away gently.

"You have me, Bella, all of me," he whispered as stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers as the pace of his body increased. He moved one of his hands underneath me and angled my hips further upwards, the change of position was my undoing and my inner muscles contracted and gripped around him as once more I screamed out his name. Several long hard thrusts later and Edward followed, his body stiffening as he called my name out in return.

We stayed connected for quite awhile, no words were spoken as we looked at one another and shared gentle kisses. Eventually we pried ourselves apart, cleaned up and made our way over to Edward's room. Both of us checked on Josh, who was still fast asleep, before we finally curled up together in the huge bed that Edward usually slept in alone.

He held me firmly in his arms and kissed my forehead repeatedly while running his fingers through my hair as we both gradually started to fall into a deep sleep.

**A/N**

**Aww, I have such a soft spot for Josh. **

**I promise that Edward finding out is going to happen VERY soon ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 20**

I could feel the tickle of warm breath on the back of my neck when I woke the next morning. Prying my eyes slowly open, I took in my surroundings before I realized that I was in fact in Edward's bedroom. It was still dark so I snuggled back down underneath the covers to try and get another hour's sleep. Edward's hand was flung firmly over my stomach and it tightened as I wriggled trying to get comfortable once more. I couldn't help but giggle slightly as I felt his morning wood through his boxers and across my thigh.

I reached down and rubbed it gently as Edward, still asleep, let out a small whimper and subconsciously moved his hips into my hand. Being careful not to wake him, I slowly peeled back his boxes and freed him, gathering up the pre-cum at the tip and working it down his length. His breathing became heavy on the back of my neck and he grew harder into my hand as I gently pumped him back and forth before he eventually spilled out over the back of my thigh.

"Now that's some wake up call," he mumbled still half asleep, as I reached over for the tissues and wet wipes to clean myself up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," I whispered. "I just couldn't resist!"

"Feel free to wake me up like that anytime," he said quietly kissing my hair before pulling me back to his chest and wrapping his arms around me once more as we both got comfortable and drifted back off to sleep.

What felt like only a short time later I woke with a start as Josh cried out from his cot. I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face in an attempt to wake myself up. Looking across the bed, Edward was now sprawled out face down and snoring softly, oblivious to the fact that Josh was now awake.

I dragged my still tired body out of bed and walked over to the cot where Josh stood whimpering with his arms outstretched waiting for me to pick him up.

"Come on, little man, let's get that wet diaper off of you and then we can have a cuddle," I say softly as I pick him up, grabbing his changing bag before heading for the bathroom.

Edward was still snoring lightly when we returned. I pulled back the covers and slid back into bed placing Josh in between us. He sat himself up and looked around at his surroundings before noticing Edward lying fast asleep. Well, that just wouldn't do! As far as Josh was concerned if he's awake, then everyone should be.

Before I had a chance to stop him, he launched himself on top of Edward and promptly slapped his chubby hands straight into Edward's face.

"Argh," Edward shouted as he jumped a mile. Josh sat there laughing, highly amused at the shock and pain that he'd just inflicted.

"For fuck's sake, Bella," he said as he flopped back down onto the bed and steadied his breathing.

"Language, Edward," I scolded, "That's a dollar for the swear jar too."

"I don't have a swear jar," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Well, with language like that in front of the baby you certainly need one!"

He lifted his head slightly and peeled one eye open to look at Josh's amused face. "I don't know what you're giggling at," he said as he playfully pushes Josh over onto his back and attacks his belly with tickles. I sit and watch the two of them interacting so naturally together, and it brings a genuine smile to my face.

We spend the morning quietly. Josh played with a few of his new toys in the living room area as Edward sat reading the Sunday morning papers and keeping an eye on him. I made myself at home in the kitchen cooking up omelets and bacon for breakfast. Everything about being here in Edward's apartment felt right.

By midday we were packed up and ready to go home and Edward stayed a while at my apartment putting together Josh's 3 -in-1 trike. It took longer than he originally planned due to Josh 'helping' him by banging all the poles together and getting them all mixed up. Still, he showed an incredible amount of patience and never once complained.

"There, finished," he announced proudly as he stood up to survey his handiwork.

I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "It looks great, he'll love it," I said as Edward placed Josh into the seat and fastened him in before pushing him around the apartment using the parental attachment. I pulled out the camera and took a quick photograph of the two of them, Edward looking as proud as punch at his new build and Josh smiling widely at his new play toy.

It felt so right, the three of us being together and I had mixed emotions about telling Edward the truth. On one hand I was being selfish and didn't want to burst the happy bubble that we were all living in, but on the other, Edward had a right to know and I had kept it from him for long enough. Tomorrow would be D-Day. I couldn't tell him now, not with Josh wide awake, who knew how Edward would react! And I certainly didn't want Josh getting upset at any shouting that would possibly happen.

"Um, Edward, would you mind coming for dinner tomorrow night?" I asked unconsciously wringing my hands together. "I know you'll be busy packing for Chicago, but I'd really like to see you before you leave."

The corners of Edward's mouth twitched before turning upwards in a smile. "I'd really like that, Bella, I can pack tonight and then we'll have no distractions tomorrow."

"Thanks," I smiled weakly at him as he pulled me into a hug.

"I'd best be going. It's 4 o'clock already and I have some paperwork that I need to catch up on before I pack," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"Okay," I mumbled as I lifted my face away from his chest and looked into his eyes. They were filled with an unknown emotion as though he was silently trying to tell me something. He blinked twice rapidly before lowering his lips to mine.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly, giving me yet another kiss before opening the door to leave.

The rest of the evening went quickly. I cooked up several meals for the freezer, cleaned the apartment and played with Josh and his new toys before bathing him and laying him down for the night.

I showered and pulled a bottle of ice cold water from the refrigerator before sitting down on the sofa to contemplate just how I would tell Edward, what words I would use, what his reaction would be. Drinking down the water, I sat in silence as a million and one different scenarios ran through my mind. By midnight I was still wide awake and more on edge than ever. I knew that it was pointless going to bed, sleep wasn't going to come to me anytime soon, and it was no use trying to force it. I walked over to the bookcase and picked up my well used and worn out copy of H.G. Wells' The Country of the Blind. I loved that book and had read it numerous times over the years. One hour later I realized that I was still on the same page where I began. I must have read it twenty times over and yet a single word hadn't even registered. Resigned to the fact that I was not going to read, I closed the book and threw it down onto the coffee table.

Sleep must have won out at some point because I woke on the sofa with a crick in my neck and a sore back. The sun was starting to rise and I could hear the pigeons cooing outside of the living room window. I took another quick shower to wake me up after checking on Josh, who thankfully was still sleeping, before getting ready and making him breakfast. I skipped it, mainly because I couldn't face any food and secondly, I remembered that I was to fetch donuts and eat with Emmett.

Josh woke and I fed him breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs and toast, followed by some chopped up fruit, which he enjoyed feeding himself. By the time I got him ready for the day, Leah had arrived.

She asked about Josh's birthday and quickly filled me in on her date which she had thoroughly enjoyed. Embry had asked to see her again, and she was very excited over the start of her new budding romance.

I stopped off on my way to work and grabbed two coffees and a box of donuts because one donut was never enough for Emmett. Entering the building a little before 9:00, I was greeted by the ever so cheery Tanya, who just scowled as normal. I was already shattered by the time I reached the office and shed my coat. I quickly glanced over what needed to be done today, a few reports, two appointments that needed to be made and one to be rearranged, but nothing too hectic thankfully.

"Come in," Emmett called as I banged on the door with my foot. I worked the handle down with my elbow and nudged the door open with my hip before strolling into the office with my arms full.

Emmett looked at me amused as I almost dropped the box of donuts on his desk.

"You remembered," he said cheerfully, opening the box and helping himself to a caramel topped sugary delight.

"Of course I remembered," I smiled at him as he crammed half the donut into his mouth at once.

"Take a seat. Wow, these are great," he said shoveling in some more.

I sat down and took a sip of my steaming coffee, grateful as the hot liquid slid down my throat. It was just what I needed to wake me up. If I'd been thinking straight, I would have made myself a pot before leaving home.

"I take it you're wanting some more advice about Rose?" I asked curiously as Emmett picked up the box of donuts and indicated for me to take one. I shook my head declining and sat back taking another sip of coffee.

"Not exactly," he smiled, the dimples at the corners of his mouth showing a full display as he did so.

"What is it then? What's all of this about?" I said indicating the very unhealthy breakfast. "We never share breakfast, Emmett, what's going on?"

For the first time since I had known him, Emmett's smile disappeared. "It's about you... And Edward."

My stomach clenched as I looked at his face. Gone was the happy-go-lucky cheeky guy that I knew and loved, and in his place sat Emmett Cullen, serious business man.

I wrung my hands together nervously. "What about us?"

"Is it serious between the two of you?" he asked curiously.

I didn't quite know how to answer it. Edward and I had never really talked about 'us' other than the fact that we were going to take things slowly. I knew that I had fallen in love with him, but I had no idea about how he felt about me.

"I'm not sure," I told him truthfully. "I would like it to be." I couldn't be more honest than that.

"You know he's never been like this with anyone before, don't you?" he picked up another donut and broke a piece off before popping it into his mouth.

"I'm not following you, Emmett, what is it that you're actually getting at?"

He took a deep breath, "Look, Bella, I don't want to see him hurt. Edward has always been a player. We've never seen him be so involved with anyone before. He's never purposely introduced anyone to the family. We've never seen him look at anyone the way that he looks at you, and he's certainly never taken anyone back to his home before, let alone have them spend the night. It's obvious that he has feelings for you."

"I'm still not following you, Emmett, why on earth would you think that I would hurt him? That's the last thing I would ever want to do!"

"How do you feel about him, Bella? I mean REALLY feel."

I looked down at my lap, still twisting my fingers together with nerves. "I love him, Emmett," I whispered.

"Then why are you lying to him?"

I looked up suddenly in shock, Emmett's face was no longer hard and business like, he was back to being the Emmett that I considered my friend. I couldn't speak. I tried. I opened my mouth several times, but couldn't get any words out.

"I'll make this easy for you, Bella," he said softly. "I know about Josh."

Tears welled in my eyes and I felt sick. I started shaking with nerves. Emmett came around the desk and knelt down in front of me, taking hold of my hands.

"Take deep breaths," he instructed me gently. I did as I was told and eventually felt my body start to calm down a little when he handed me my coffee. "Here, take a drink."

"I'm not here to make accusations, or cause problems," he gently rubbed my hand. "I just want to look out for my brother...and now it seems my nephew as well," he chuckled. I nodded my head in understanding.

"I like you, Bella, and I want to do my best to help, but I can't do that unless you tell me the whole story and explain to me why you've been lying to my brother."

"I didn't intentionally set out to lie to him," I choked out between breaths. "I just needed time."

"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me the whole story," he smiled at me and gave my knee a reassuring pat before walking back around the desk and taking his seat again.

"Okay," I sniffed giving him a tight lipped smile. "Can I ask how you found out?"

"I'm not an accountant for nothing, Bella, I can do the math. Josh is one year old, take another 9 months off of that and it leads us to the time when we were in Vegas. Of course that doesn't mean anything, but when you add the dates together with the fact that Edward and Josh look so much alike…. Well, let's just say that one and one make two."

I rubbed my hands over my face. The tears were still there, but thankfully hadn't started to fall.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked suddenly panicked.

"I think my mom has a very strong inkling. That's why I needed to speak to you first and get the whole story. She always comments on how much Josh looks like Edward did as a baby; and now that she knows about Vegas, I think it's pretty obvious to her that she has a grandson. I think she just needs the final confirmation.

"So it seems that everyone has an idea except Edward?" I ask confused.

Emmett laughed, "Edward is an amazing business man. He can run a multi-million dollar international company with his eyes closed, but when it comes to other things, let's just say that he's not always the sharpest tool in the box!"

I laughed and sniffed at the same time, I couldn't believe that Esme had an idea this whole time and had never even brought the subject up with me. That was a thought that I needed to shelve and come back to later.

"So," Emmett said, "are you going to start at the beginning?"

"Yes," I took a deep breath.

"We were all so drunk in Vegas that I couldn't even remember what Edward looked like, let alone anything else about him."

"I believe that," Emmett said, "we were all in the same state. Well, everyone except Jasper."

I nodded and continued. "Anyway, a few weeks after we'd arrived back home I found out that I was pregnant. I had no idea who the mystery man from that night in Vegas was, let alone how to contact him, so I knew that I was facing life as a single mother." I looked up at Emmett who encouraged me to continue.

"I was so ill during my pregnancy that I had no option but to quit my job. Thankfully, my grandmother had left me an inheritance that enabled me get by while I was out of work. After I had Josh, I struggled but we managed. I tried to find work, but no one wanted a PA or anything similar, who had been out of work. Even though I had been keeping up with online courses, no-one wanted to employ a single mother of a newborn baby although they wouldn't ever say that was the reason."

"I understand," Emmett said picking up his coffee and taking a sip.

"So, anyway, this went on until Josh was 9 months old. I had just enough inheritance to last me another couple of months, and I was about to start applying for cleaning and waitressing jobs. That's when I got the call from Cullen International to say that I had an interview. I got the job, obviously, and met Edward, although we didn't exactly hit it off straight away," I smiled slightly at the memory.

"But eventually, we called a truce and found that we both really liked one another. Everything changed that night in the club when Jasper remembered us from Vegas. I knew instantly that Edward was the mystery man and knew in my heart that he was Josh's father. Mainly I know because when I look into Edward's eyes, it's like looking into Josh's."

"They do share the same eyes," Emmett agreed.

"It was never my intention to deceive Edward. I needed time to come to terms with things myself, and to wrap my head around the idea that my boss and the man that I was starting to date was in fact my child's father."

I looked up at Emmett to find him watching me intensely.

"Edward and I were just starting out so I thought that as well as giving myself time get used to things, it would also give Edward and Josh a chance to bond before I finally hit him with the truth."

"They have certainly bonded," Emmett agreed. "But when were you actually planning on telling him?"

"Well, you might not believe me, but I was actually going to tell him tonight. I thought that with you both going to Chicago tomorrow, it would give him a chance to think about things without having me and Josh in the way."

Emmett sat and studied me for a while. "I don't agree with the way you've gone about things, but I can understand why you did it. It can't have been easy on you."

I shook my head. "The longer it went on, the harder it got. I should have told him at the start, and we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation now."

"Everything alters with hindsight," he told me. "Now first things first," he smiled. "Let's finish these donuts and figure out just how you're going to handle all of this."

Once I told Emmett the whole story and he was satisfied that I wasn't out to hurt Edward, he and I both visibly relaxed and he was once again the teddy bear that I like to think of as my friend.

"So, how exactly are you going to tell him?" he asked as he finished off the final donut.

"I've invited him over for dinner tonight. I'll wait until Josh is asleep and I'll tell him then... How do you think he'll react?"

"I've no idea, but I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that discussion," he laughed.

"He'll hate me!"

"No, he won't, not when you explain why you kept it from him."

"Yes, he will. I've lied to Edward for weeks!"

"I think you'd better tell me what the hell is going on!" Edward stood there in the doorway, his face a mask of stone... "My office, Bella, NOW!"

**A/N **

**So, the truth is out…Well it will be in the next chapter ;)**

**What will Edward's reaction be? **

**Big thanks to everyone who is following this story and an especially big THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed. I always said that if this story hit 50 reviews I would be over the moon and now here we are well into the hundreds. It really means a lot.**


	21. Chapter 21

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 21**

Edward walked out of the door without saying another word. Panic struck me as I looked over at Emmett for help, reassurance...Anything!

"It'll be ok, Bella, just tell him what you told me," Emmett said. I could tell he was just saying that for my benefit, but the reassuring smile on his face didn't match the worried look in his eyes. "You'd better go and face him before he comes back looking for you."

I nodded my head and wordlessly made my way out of Emmett's office and over to Edward's. My mind was numb and my body shaking. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Shaking even more, I slowly pushed open the office door to find Edward leaning back against his desk with a frown, his arms crossed defensively in front of him.

He looked up at me as I entered. His face was set to stone, giving nothing away.

"What's going on?" he demanded, with an unspoken fury beneath the words.

All I could think about was how much damage I had caused. I had let Edward down, I had let myself down, but most importantly, I had let Josh down. He was the innocent party in all of this and by keeping the truth away from Edward, I may have taken the chance of having his father in his life away from him altogether.

I looked down at my feet unable to look Edward in the face. I felt shame and so afraid. My friends had tried to warn me and I hadn't listened. Now I was about to rip the rug from under Edward's feet and change his whole life without any warning.

"Bella, I asked you a question! What's going on?" he repeated, exasperated by my silence.

"We shouldn't do this here where everyone can hear us, Edward. Please just come for dinner tonight and I'll explain everything." My nerves were starting to get the better of me, and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I blinked them away determined that I wouldn't let them fall.

"I want to know NOW, Bella! I heard what you said in Emmett's office. You've been lying to me this whole time, and I want to know what about and why." He pushed himself away from the desk and started pacing up and down his office his hands tugging at his hair in frustration.

"Edward, please, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like? You better tell me what the hell is going on before I leave this office and get it directly from Emmett, because he's obviously in the know." His voice was getting more and more irate with each word.

I took a deep breath, my nerves were shot and my legs were wobbling like jello.

"Can I sit down please?" I asked. I didn't wait for a reply, I just did it. If I didn't sit down now I would fall down.

"I think you should sit down too," I told him softly, just above a whisper.

"I'm fine where I am, Bella. Just get on with it, and explain to me what's so important that you've felt the need to lie to me." His voice was no longer irate, he sounded desperate, pleading almost.

I looked up at him as he towered above me, his jaw clenched tightly. I briefly saw something flash in his eyes. Hurt and uncertainty... I was doing this to him!

"I didn't intentionally lie to you, Edward," I began quietly. "I just withheld the truth for a while. There's a difference."

"Bella, I heard you say it with my own ears. Now for God's sake, tell me what you've been lying about." He was starting to get mad. I could tell by the way that his hands had dropped to his sides, with his fists clenching and unclenching in an attempt to calm himself down.

"For God's sake, Bella, will you just tell me? I'm going out of my mind here." He resumed his pacing back and forth.

How could I have done this to him? He doesn't deserve any of this and it's my entire fault. Should I just blurt it out or tell him the whole story? Would he listen?

He walked over and crouched down in front me taking my hands in his,

"Baby, just put me out of my misery!" he pleaded. I could see tears forming in his eyes, and my chest hurt with self loathing of how much I was about to shatter this beautiful man's world as he knew it. Instinctively, I reached up and gently wiped the pad of my thumb underneath his eye pushing away the water that had begun to seep down.

"I'm so sorry, Edward, I never set out to hurt you," I choked out as my own tears betrayed me.

"Is it someone else, Bella, have you met someone?"

I gasped at the thought, and moved my hands into his hair pulling his head towards mine our foreheads touching.

"Never, Edward," was all I could whisper as tears rolled down both our cheeks.

He breathed what I can only assume to be a sigh of relief. "Then what is it?" he asked as he stood and leaned back against his desk trying to compose himself.

I looked down to my lap; unconsciously wringing my hands together. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, "It's about Josh."

"Josh?" he sounded confused. "What about him?"

"He's...he's yours, Edward! He's your son!"

Edward's body visibly stiffened, his hands grabbed the edge of the desk so tightly that I thought it might snap, and the knot in his jaw popped in and out as he clenched it repeatedly as the realization of my words sunk in.

"Edward, say something please," I begged as tears slid down my face.

"I don't believe you... you're lying!" he spat as he pushed himself away from the desk and started towards the door.

"Edward, wait! Please..." I grabbed his arm tightly in an attempt to stop him leaving.

"Don't! Don't touch me, Bella," he said, shrugging his arm away from my touch. "I can't..." My heart shattered into pieces as he walked out of the door quickly without looking back.

"Edward, please come back," I cried, springing to my feet and following him. "Let me explain! Please."

He disappeared into the elevator as I stood and watched the doors close behind him, and tears flowed down my face as the realization of what had just happened hit me like a thunderbolt.

He had left. Just like that. He had walked away from me and out of our lives...What had I done? The father of my son and the man I loved had just turned his back on us.

I sobbed uncontrollably, stood frozen there in the foyer. "Come back," I whispered to the closed elevator doors.

Warm arms engulfed me and I was suddenly wrapped in the arms of Esme. "Let's get you out of here," she whispered as she pulled me towards Carlisle's office. I looked up through my tears to see everyone watching my public meltdown, Irena, Victoria, Emmett and Carlisle all stood gaping at me, obviously not quite sure as to what to say or do.

"Get her a coffee, lots of sugar," I heard Carlisle say to someone as Esme led me into his office and sat me down on the sofa.

I sat and cried in Esme's arms as she gently rocked me back and forth for what seemed like ages, my tears leaving her shoulder damp as she stroked my hair and whispered soothing words into my ear. How could she be so caring when she knew what I had done?

"I'm so sorry," I choked, as Carlisle handed me a tissue.

A knock came to the door, "Here's the coffee, and is there anything else I can get you?" I heard Victoria ask in a quiet voice as Esme carried on cradling me like a small child.

"Yes," I heard Carlisle mutter, "Leave your desk and take over Bella's for now. Cancel any appointments that Edward has for today and take all calls. If it's important, direct it through to Irena and we'll deal with it."

"Certainly," she said, just before the door closed.

"Bella, dear, here, drink this," Esme pushed my shoulders back a little so that I was sitting more upright. She handed me a mug of steaming hot coffee and encouraged me to take a sip. It was sweet, too sweet, and I grimaced at the taste. I wiped my tears again and blew my nose.

"He's gone," I said, almost unable to get the words out.

"He just needs time," she said kindly.

"I'm so sorry. I've hurt everyone," tears welled up once again but didn't spill over.

"Shhh," Esme said soothingly, pushing the coffee back towards my lips.

"You've known all this time?" I said looking at her and wiping at my unshed tears with the tissue.

"I had my suspicions," she confirmed.

"So it's true then?" Carlisle asked as he took a seat on the edge of the coffee table in front of me.

I nodded, "I never meant to hurt anyone. I just needed time."

"Time for what?" Carlisle asked curiously. He didn't sound mad, just very confused over the whole sorry story.

I took another drink from my overly hot, overly sweet coffee.

Twenty minutes later and I had relayed the whole sorry tale to Esme and Carlisle.

"I never thought that he would just walk away, turn his back on us," I cried.

"It's come as a huge shock to him. He just needs time himself... just like you did," Esme tried to reassure me.

"It's come as a huge shock to us all," Carlisle said as he tried to wrap his head around the whole thing. "I'm a grandpa!" he suddenly declared as if he'd just realized.

Esme giggled, "Yes, and I'm a grandma... Can you believe that?" She said excitedly. "Little Josh, who would have thought it?"

"Obviously not Edward," I whispered sadly.

"Honey, I think you need to give him some time. You needed time to adjust, and now Edward does too. There's no way he'll abandon little Josh. I've seen how he is with him, he dotes on the child," Esme told me confidently.

"See, Carlisle, I knew that play area was a good idea!"

I shook my head and took a sip of my now cold coffee as Esme and Carlisle got used to the idea of being grandparents for the first time.

"Can I come in?" Emmett asked as he popped his head around the door.

He sat down on the sofa beside me and pulled me into his arms. "It'll be ok, Bella, he'll come around."

"Have you spoken to him?" I raised my head from his shoulder and looking at him expectantly.

He shook his head. "He's not answering his phone."

Carlisle furrowed his brow, "That's not like him. Have you tried his home phone?"

"I've tried everywhere, he's probably sitting in a bar drowning his sorrows."

I felt so guilty; it wasn't supposed to have happened like this. I wanted to tell Edward gently, on our own without any interference, not being forced into a confessional due to an overheard conversation. He must be so confused. Everyone seemed convinced that he'd do the right thing where Josh was concerned, but what about us? Where did this leave our relationship?

Carlisle told me to go home and take the rest of the day off as I was in no state to continue. Esme drove me, saying that I was too upset to take a cab, although I had a sneaky suspicion that she just wanted to spend some time with her new found grandson.

Leah was giving Josh some fruit and milk when we entered the apartment. She looked shocked to see us, and even more shocked when she saw my red puffy eyes.

"Is everything alright, Bella?" she asked concerned.

"I'll explain everything later," I told her, attempting a small smile.

"Okay," she nodded looking totally confused.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off, full pay of course," I said, trying to sound as if things were fine and failing miserably.

"Um, yeah, sure," she said, obviously not understanding what was happening. "Will you need me tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that will be great. Usual time, if that's ok?"

"No problem," she bent down and tickled Josh's tummy. "See you tomorrow, Josh," she said waving to him. He waved back by moving his arm up and down and opening and closing his little fingers.

"See you tomorrow," she said sounding a little worried as she grabbed her things and made her way to the door.

"Thanks, Leah, I'll see you tomorrow," I called after her.

Esme was onto Josh right away. Scooping him up into her arms and holding him tightly to her. I heard a small sniffle and realized that she was actually crying.

I handed her a tissue and pulled one out for myself at the same time before guiding us over to the sofa.

"I shouldn't have kept it from you all. I'm so sorry, Esme, please forgive me," I watched Esme as she clung onto Josh.

"What's done is done, Bella, it's no good dwelling on should have, would have, could have's. We need to move on and give this little one all the family that he deserves," she smiled at Josh as he played with the necklace that she wore.

I nodded in agreement. "Do you think that he'll be okay?"

"Edward? Yes, eventually. He's a brooder. He'll be hurt, but he has his family and he'll get through it," she said thoughtfully.

"Do you think he'll forgive me?"

"I can't answer that, Bella. That's for Edward to decide once he's calmed down. Once he's heard and understood why you did it, things will sort themselves out."

"Why didn't you mention your suspicions to Edward?" I ask her curiously as she planted kisses on the top of Josh's head.

"Because that's all they were, suspicions... I'd noticed a strong resemblance several times, but that's all it was. Then when I found out about you and Edward in Vegas, it was a shock but it made perfect sense at the same time. It was at Josh's party when I saw Edward and Josh together and realized that they really were two peas in a pod. I worked the dates out as a rough guide, and they matched. I didn't know until today that Emmett had also done the same thing. I was waiting to see if you said anything. I would have confronted you over it eventually, but I wanted Edward to find out from you rather than from me."

"He found out from me alright," I said with mock amusement.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Bella, he'll come around eventually," she said patting my knee.

Esme ended up staying for several hours only letting Josh out of her sight when she popped out for lunch. I only had a tiny bite of the sandwich that she fetched me, but I just couldn't think of eating anything right then and there. My only thoughts were of Edward.

Rose phoned later in the afternoon and offered to come around and sit with me for a while, which I declined. Emmett had evidently informed her of what had happened, and I briefly filled her in. She made me promise to phone her if I needed her, and the same thing happened with Alice only 30 minutes later, who had obviously spoken to Rose.

By the time Esme left, I had pulled myself together slightly. I still had Josh to look after and right now he needed feeding. I pulled a meal out of the freezer and popped it in the microwave. I left it to cool whilst buttering him some bread and cutting it into bite-sized pieces. I gave him one spoon to 'feed' himself and helped him along the way with another, all the while checking my phone which I had on the table beside me just waiting for Edward to call.

I performed the usual bedtime routine on auto pilot and by 8 pm, Josh was tucked up fast asleep. Edward never called. I checked my phone repeatedly every couple of minutes, but there was nothing. By 10 pm, I was tearing my hair out with guilt, worry, shame, and a thousand and one different emotions as I pulled my knees up to my chest on the sofa and wrapped my arms around them, slowly rocking myself backwards and forwards.

By 10:15, I couldn't take it anymore, I needed to know that he was alright. I picked up my phone and hovered my finger over his number several times before finally finding the courage to press the dial button. I lifted it to my ear and after a few short moments it connected and started to ring... and ring... and ring. Eventually, it switched to answering machine and I hung up without leaving a message.

I tried several more times that night but to no avail. It was apparent that Edward had no intentions of speaking to me. My chest felt tight with pent up emotion and finally at 1 am, I dragged my weary body to bed to try and get some rest. I might not have Edward anymore, but I still had Josh and I needed to remain strong for him.

I made it into work the next day looking like a walking zombie. I received pitiful stares from almost everyone, and I had absolutely no doubt that I was now the subject of the latest office gossip. By the time I reached my office, I was ready to turn around and go back home again. I had tried calling Edward several times but he still wasn't answering his phone. It was 9 am, and if things had gone according to plan, he would now be at Sea-Tac boarding the company jet to Chicago.

Five hours later and Carlisle came knocking on the office door.

"I've just come to let you know that I've spoken to Edward," he said calmly as he took a seat.

"How is he?" I asked. "He's still not answering my calls."

He shook he head, "He wouldn't talk about it. He just rang to say that they had landed safely, arrived at the hotel, and heading down for the first conference."

My stomach clenched. "He didn't mention us at all?"

"I'm sorry, no, although Emmett says that he looks like hell."

"What have I done to him, Carlisle? I never wanted any of this to happen."

"I know, I understand that," Carlisle said gently. "But Edward is in shock right now. Once he gets his head around it all, he'll come around. Just try not to worry too much and give him a little time to think, Bella. He's not a bad person."

I looked at Carlisle, he seemed to have aged slightly overnight, and I'm sure that I was the reason why. "I'm so sorry for what I've put you all through," I told him in all honesty. "I never meant for all this to happen."

"Bella, Esme and I understand why you did what you did. You needed time and we accept that. You just took much longer than you should have. You're not a bad person either. You and Josh are now part of the family, and we look out for family. It will all be alright in the end."

I smiled for the first time in what felt like ages, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

"You do realize what you've done though, don't you?" Carlisle chuckled. "You've created a monster!"

I looked at him curiously, not understanding his meaning.

"Let's just say that Esme is out there right now shopping!"

I groaned in understanding,

"Yep, my sentiments exactly," he said as he rose from his chair and patted my shoulder in a fatherly way before bending down slightly and whispering in my ear,

"20 dollars says she buys an 'I love my grandma' t-shirt."

I laughed, really laughed.

"20 dollars says it's a 'my grandma loves me' one instead."

It was Carlisle's turn to laugh this time as we shook hands to seal the deal.

Later that night after I had put Josh to bed, I curled up on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. Edward still wasn't taking my calls and my stomach was still in knots. I decided to do some paperwork that I had brought home from the office to keep me busy and take my mind off things when I heard a key in the door. I groaned inwardly as it could only mean one thing.

"Don't you ever knock?" I asked Alice as she strolled through the door closely followed by Rose.

"Well, excuse us for caring!" she answered as she placed two bottles of wine onto the coffee table before throwing herself down on the sofa beside me. "That's from Rose," she said pointing at the obviously cheap wine and pulling a face.

Rose went straight into the kitchen and came back with three glasses. "It's 'Get Bella Drunk Time'," she said as she opened the first bottle.

"Screw top... Classy," I muttered sarcastically as she handed me a glass.

"Be grateful, bitch," she grinned as she handed Alice a glass. "Besides, this is the only thing I had on hand. It was a birthday gift from Aunt Mable. You know how tight she is with her money, she probably made it herself," Rose sniggered.

"Have you heard from him?" Alice asked, straight to the point as ever.

"Nope, he's not taking my calls," I told her taking a sip of the vinegar that had been relabeled as wine.

We all made faces as we drank but carried on regardless.

"The boys aren't mad with you both for not telling them, are they?" I asked concerned. The last thing I wanted was for my friends to be dragged into all of this.

"Jasper's fine. He understands that it wasn't my story to tell. He's really excited that he has a nephew," Alice smiled.

"Same with Emmett," Rose grimaced as she took another sip of the vinegar.

"Have you spoken to Emmett?" I asked, fishing for information.

"He phoned a couple of hours ago. He says that Edward is refusing to talk about it, but he's planning on taking him for a drink tonight, so hopefully, he can get him to open up."

"I'll never forgive myself for hurting him," I told them both.

"It's not as though you set out to do that, Bella," Alice said as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"No, it's not, but I've done it anyway!" Tears welled in my eyes but I refused to let them fall as I threw back my head and finished the glass of God-awful wine.

"What are you going to say to him when he comes back?" Rose asked as she played with Josh's toy piano. My chest clenched at the memory of Edward's face as he gave it to Josh only a few days ago.

"I just want him to know the truth. He never gave me a chance to explain, he... just walked away," I choked.

"Hey, no tears!" Alice instructed as she poured me another glass of vinegar.

It was 11 pm by the time they left. They came to cheer me up and get me drunk; they had failed miserably on the first part of their mission, but succeeded on the second part. Not only would I have a bad headache in the morning, but I would also have shocking indigestion too.

Walking through the doors of Cullen International the next morning was not something that I enjoyed. Tanya gave me a disgusted glare and a smirk at the same time, something that only she could pull off. Several glances and whispers in the elevator did nothing for my self-confidence, and I was glad to reach the 17th floor where I could hide away in my office. I had a banging headache, but surprisingly, no indigestion.

"Heard anything yet?" Esme asked cheerfully as she strolled into the office an hour later.

I shook my head. "No, he's still not answering my calls," I told her sadly.

"It has only been a couple of days" she said concerned. "But it's time for him to grow up and take responsibility for his son. Just wait until he get's home, I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

The idea of Esme giving Edward a roasting as though he was a ten year old boy made my lips curl. She was enough to put the fear of God into any man.

"To be fair, Esme, it's a huge shock to him," I told her in an attempt to calm her down.

She looked at me and laughed, "Only you, Bella, only you!"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Only you could have the father of your child walk out after telling him and still be there to defend him."

"Yes, well, if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have walked out."

"Don't be so hard on yourself; you did what you thought was right at the time," she said sympathetically. "Anyway, look at what I've got for Josh, you're going to love it," she said excitedly to cheer me up.

I looked into the bag that she handed me and smiled as I put my hand in and pulled out a beautiful pair of stone coloured baby chinos and a cable knit sweater in a slightly darker color. "Oh, Esme, they're beautiful. Thank you," I examined the detail in the sweater. "He'll look so grown up in these," I smiled.

"I know. That's what I thought the moment I saw them... check out the rest of the bag," she said with a beaming smile.

I put my hand in and pulled out a fishing hat... "That's for when he spends time with his Grandpas," she told me laughing.

I shook my head in amusement and pulled the last item out of the bag.

Damn, I owe Carlisle $20!

**A/N, **

**So, the cat is well and truly out of the bag!**

**Thank you for all your reviews and kind comments, I'm trying to reply to you all as quick as possible, the response to MOI has been so amazing and I am truly overwhelmed so thanks again.**

**The next update will be on Sunday.**


	22. Chapter 22

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 22**

Thursday came around quickly. Feeling shattered I finished up work and headed home to my little man. I was so incredibly tired and my stomach hurt from a lack of food. It wasn't as though I hadn't tried to eat, I had, but I was so wracked with nerves that I could only manage a few bites before I lost all appetite and felt physically sick. Edward still wouldn't take my calls and I was growing increasingly worried about how I would face him when he came back to the office tomorrow.

After putting Josh to bed, I ran the shower and stripped off my clothes glancing at myself in the mirror, I looked shocking. My skin looked grey and my eyes were sunken with dark circles underneath from a lack of sleep; there was no longer any sparkle left in them.

I quickly dried my body and left my hair to dry naturally, not even having the energy to plug in the hairdryer. Stepping into my trusty Eeyore pajamas, I immediately felt better about myself and made my way into the kitchen to try and force myself into eating something. All I could manage was a piece of fruit and one of Josh's yogurts; still, it was better than nothing. Pulling a bottle of ice cold water out of the refrigerator, I made my way over to the sofa and flopped down on it exhausted. My mind hadn't switched off for the last few days and now my body was catching up too. I ached from head to toe and I hoped and prayed that I wasn't coming down with a cold...That would be all I needed on top of everything else.

Sleep must have eventually overcome me as I woke up on the sofa few hours later to an incessant tapping noise. I briefly wondered if I was dreaming it and closed my eyes again trying to claim some much needed sleep, but the noise didn't stop. I tried to focus on where it was coming from, and I realized it was the front door. Quickly I made my way over, trying to decide on whether I should open it or not. Safety was the best option so I quietly called out. "Hello, who is it?"

"Bella, it's me!"

"Edward," I gasped in shock.

I fumbled with the locks and couldn't get them open quick enough, before throwing the door back to see Edward stood there with his car keys in hand.

He looked just as bad as I did, his suit was crumpled and he had large bags under his eyes. He obviously had suffered from a lack of sleep also. We stood looking at one another neither of us not knowing what to say or do. Eventually, I found my voice.

"Come in, please." I gave him a tentative smile, one that he didn't return.

"I've come to talk," was all he said as he walked through the door.

My stomach was in knots as I indicated for him to take a seat at the dining table.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I asked nervously.

He shook his head, "Is it true?" he suddenly blurted out.

I pulled out a chair, the leg scraping across the tiled floor as I did so. Taking a seat opposite him, I looked into his ashen face, "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me? What did you hope to gain by lying?" He looked defeated and it was all my doing.

"I'm sorry! I should have told you from the start... I just needed time to get my head around it!" I played with the hem of my pajama top, just to keep my hands busy more than anything else.

"Are you sure he's mine?" he asked with a raised voice.

I gasped. "Of course he's yours," I said shocked.

"Bella, I've never had sex without a condom, I don't see how he can be mine!"

"Well, obviously you have, Edward," I shouted in disgust. "Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here right now." My temper was flaring, how dare he insinuate that I'd slept around.

We sat glaring at one another; you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Eventually he took a deep breath and sat back in his chair, car keys twirling between his fingers. "Tell me everything, from start to finish and don't leave anything out," he said coldly.

I started with what happened when Jasper recognized us at the club, how I freaked out and needed some time to get my head together. That I hoped he would bond with Josh and how increasingly hard it had become each day, the closer it got to telling him the truth.

I told him how I was going to tell him the night that he found out, but he overheard my conversation with Emmett before I had a chance.

I didn't leave anything out and told him every little detail no matter how small. All the time he sat there watching me while he continued to twirl his keys within his fingers.

I finished and breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to tell him the whole sorry tale. He didn't respond immediately, and I chanced a glance at him through my tear stained lashes.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of being sat in a deathly silence, he spoke.

"Okay, I accept that Josh is mine, but I want a DNA test to make sure!"

I was momentarily taken aback, but common sense prevailed and I realized that Edward needed this for his own peace of mind.

"That's fine, I have no problem with that," I told him quietly.

"I also want visitation, at least one evening a week and one full day per weekend," he told me without emotion.

I nodded my agreement as the tears slipped down my cheeks, he hadn't actually said the words, he didn't need to. By talking about access to Josh and visitation, he was in effect telling me that our relationship was over. He accepted Josh, but was abandoning me.

"Now, about money!" he said with a mocking chuckle.

My head snapped upwards, "Money? What about it?"

"Oh come on, Bella, you seriously expect me to believe that you don't want my money? You've mentioned before about how much you've struggled. Let's face it, with the amount of child support you'll be able to take me for, you'll be laughing all the way to the bank," he said without mirth.

Visibly shocked and taken aback at his words, I wiped away my tears with the back of my hands.

"Edward, please... None of this was ever about money, I don't want it!"

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"It's true."

"Yes, well, you and I both know that you're not one for telling the truth," he spat.

"Why are you doing this, Edward? This isn't you."

"I didn't realize that being a hard-faced liar was you either," he muttered.

"I never lied, Edward, I just withheld the truth. Please, you have to believe that I never set out to hurt you."

"I'll never believe another word that comes out of your mouth," he said calmly as he stood up to leave.

"Edward, please don't go, not like this. We can sit down and talk, work things out," I pleaded as I stood in front of him, tears spilling down my face.

"The only thing that we need to sort out is the DNA test and visitation rights to Josh. Other than that, there's nothing left to say," he told me coldly reaching behind me to open the door.

"Don't go, Edward," I choked back a sob. "What about us?"

He laughed, he looked me straight in the eye and laughed. It was then that I realized that he wasn't looking at me... He was looking through me.

"Us, Bella? There is no us. It was all just a lie," he spat as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here, take this, call it a rebate, you earned it," he said with contempt as he shoved the paper into my hand before pushing past me and out of the door.

I stood unable to move as I watched him walk away from me and out of my life. How could it have come to this, the man who I loved with all my heart hated me and wanted nothing more to do with me. I took several deep breaths and closed the door resting my back against it. Wiping my hands over my face, I brushed back the tears that were still falling while staring at the folded piece of paper that remained in my hand. Tentatively, with shaking hands, I opened it and gasped at the sight before me. Edward had written me a check for $50,000, with his parting words ringing round and around in my head.

"_Here, take this, call it a rebate, you earned it." _

Was he insinuating that all of this was planned out? That I only ever wanted him for his money? And more to the point was he calling me a whore?

I slid down the door and sat in a heap on the floor hugging my knees closely to me rocking myself backwards and forwards sobbing as his words sank in.

"_You earned it."_

I kissed Josh and hugged him close to me before saying goodbye to him and Leah. I was dreading this, walking into the office and coming face to face with Edward. Would he even speak to me? He had to I suppose, we worked together. I looked like crap with my hair tied back, no make up, and wearing the first clothes that I found in my closet this morning. Alice and Rose would throw a fit if they could see me now.

I spoke to Alice briefly this morning. Apparently, everyone was concerned over me as they knew that Edward was back... All thanks to Rose.

I played it down and sounded really chipper on the phone, telling her that Edward and I had spoken and that he wanted to be part of Josh's life. She was really pleased for me... Little did she know.

I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they found out what had really occurred, but right at this moment I just wanted to be left alone, to wallow in my own self pity.

I made it into my office with only a few glances, the occasional stare, and the odd whisper... Progress!

Edward had been in and left me a few reports that needed to be dealt with, and a note instructing me to make arrangements for a dinner meeting with a potential new client. First thing was first, and I quickly telephoned Angela about arranging a DNA test at the hospital where she worked. I filled her in on all of last night's events and even though she was bound by patient confidentiality, she still swore to me that she wouldn't tell anyone about what had really occurred between Edward and me the previous night. To say that she was shocked was an understatement, but thankfully, she respected my wishes and agreed to give me my space.

We set up an appointment for Wednesday the following week with a Dr. Laurent. She assured me that they wouldn't hurt Josh in any way, and that his DNA would be collected by a sample of his cells by simply rubbing buccal swabs, which are similar to giant cotton buds, over the insides of his cheeks.

Once the appointment was made, I quickly updated Edward's calendar and swiftly followed that up by getting on with the work that he had left me for the day. I didn't want to give him any more ammunition against me.

I threw myself into my work for the rest of the day. I knew that sooner or later I would have to come face to face with Edward, and it wasn't a thought that I was looking forward to.

By lunchtime I'd decided that it really wasn't worth leaving the sanctuary of my office just to be faced with more pitying looks and sly whispers, and besides, I still didn't have any sort of appetite. Instead I grabbed a coffee from the break room, heaped a couple of teaspoons of sugar into it just to give me some energy and made it back into my office before anyone had much of a chance to notice me.

I completed all of the reports and made Edward's dinner appointment for Monday evening at 7pm with Chris Cooper from Cooper, Whyat, and Greene. If Edward could secure this deal, it would mean a lot of work would be coming Cullen International's way and more potential jobs could be created.

Edward had done a fantastic job of avoiding me all day, but by 4pm, I couldn't put it off any longer. I took several deep breaths to steady my nerves and decided to bite the bullet.

I knocked cautiously on his door before I heard a faint "Come in," called from inside.

He was sitting behind his desk scanning through a few files, paperwork was strewn everywhere, and he didn't even look up to acknowledge me. I decided that the best approach would be to keep it strictly business whilst in the office. I tried my hardest to stop my voice from shaking as I made my way over to the desk.

"I've brought you the reports that you wanted me to take care of," I said as smoothly as I could manage.

Edward didn't even bother to look up, he simply moved a few papers clearing a space on his desk and calmly indicated to the spot, "Just put them there and I'll check them later."

I did as I was asked and stood nervously wringing my hands.

"Is there anything else?" he asked coldly.

"Yes," I managed to choke out, my voice giving my nerves away. "I've made your dinner appointment for Monday at 7:00 with Chris Cooper at the Edgewater hotel."

"Thanks," he muttered uninterested as he picked up more papers that were scattered around him before putting them into some kind of order.

"Is that all?" he asked, still avoiding my gaze.

"Well, I, um, I made the appointment for the DNA test," I told him nervously.

His hands stilled, no longer shuffling the papers, before lifting his head and looking at me, his eyes showing no emotion at all. Gone were the shining green emeralds that captured my heart and in their place were dull matt green pools that looked lifeless.

"When?"

"Eleven thirty, Wednesday, at the hospital with Dr. Laurent," I twisted my hands and looked away.

"That's fine," I heard him say quietly.

I simply nodded as I took deep breaths... 'You won't cry, Bella, you won't cry, Bella,' I inwardly chanted to myself, praying that no tears would fall.

I turned to walk away, heading towards the door on my shaky legs.

"Bella," Edward called quietly.

My breathing hitched, and cautiously I turned around to face him.

"I'd like to take Josh out for a few hours on Sunday, would that be okay?" There was no emotion to his voice, even his face gave nothing away.

"That's fine, Edward," I nodded.

"If you have him ready for eleven, I can pick him up and we can get straight off," he said flatly.

"Okay," I choked, as tears threatened to betray me. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry again and quickly turned on my heels to leave.

"Have a good weekend, Edward," I managed to choke before closing the door behind me.

'_Have a good weekend,__Edward!'_... I mentally scoffed at myself, like hell, I hope he does. Still, I don't want him to see how much he affects me, he'd love that no doubt.

I wipe my eyes as I pick up my belongings and make my way home. How can he just pretend like I don't exist? I'm in love with the man and to think that I actually believed that he was beginning to have feelings for me too. Just how wrong can one girl be? In all the weeks that Edward and I had grown close, I never for one minute thought that he could be so cold, so unfeeling... Maybe everyone was right, I'd had time to come to terms with things, perhaps that's what Edward needs too. I wouldn't give up on him, how could I? I loved him.

Josh was pushing his walk along around the living area on wobbly legs when I walked through the door. It warmed my heart instantly to see him. He still hadn't taken his first steps unaided, but judging by the sight of him it wouldn't be long. At that moment he tripped over his own feet and Leah, who was following him around, skilfully caught him before he had time to hit the floor.

"Nice catch," I smiled as I hung up my coat and bag.

"Oh, hi, Bella," she jumped with a start, "I didn't hear you come in. How's your day been?"

"A lot better now that I'm home," I shrugged.

She gave me a sympathetic look but didn't pry, which I was thankful for.

"How's he been today?" I asked as I sank into the sofa and pulled Josh up onto my knee.

"He's been really grizzly on and off, I think he has another tooth coming through. He's been really hot at times as well."

I put my hand on his forehead. It felt clammy, but not overly hot. "Have you given him anything for it?"

"Yeah, he's had some baby Orajel on his gums and some Tylenol for his temperature. That was about 3 hours ago, so he should be ok for another hour or two," she said feeling the back of his neck.

Leah stayed for another half hour before it was time for her to leave. She filled me in on how she was getting along with Embry and vowed to introduce me to him at some point. She looked so happy, and I was really pleased that she had found someone who she connected with so well.

Josh was indeed cranky all evening. He wouldn't eat his food and his cheeks were bright red by the time we finished our bedtime routine. I gave him more Orajel and Tylenol just before bed and after a long struggle, he finally fell to sleep.

I let out a sigh of relief when I closed his door and wondered to myself just how long he would stay asleep. There was no doubt in my mind that this was going to be a long night.

I made my way into the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards to see what we needed food wise, making a list as I went. There wasn't really a great deal here, and I hoped that Josh was less grouchy in the morning as we really needed to do a huge grocery shopping trip.

My stomach started growling at the thought of food. I knew that I needed to eat more to keep my strength up, but the thought of it made me feel physically sick. Why is it that whenever you're upset or worried the last thing that you want is food?

I prepared myself a light meal of scrambled eggs and a slice of toast. I was determined to eat them and sat down at the dining table with a fork in my hand, just pushing the eggs around the plate. Eventually, I managed two small bites of egg and one bite of toast before I gave up and scraped the rest into the bin.

Josh was indeed up and down all night as I predicted, and his temperature kept rising. After giving him some more Tylenol, I stripped him down to his diaper to cool him and thankfully, he got a few hours rest after that. I hated to see my little man suffer. It wasn't often that he was grouchy, but just like all men when he was, you knew about it.

By the next morning he seemed to be a little better. His gums were obviously still giving him trouble but his temperature had calmed down. I debated what to do about the grocery shopping, and I decided that my best option was to leave it until the next day when Edward would have Josh, and I could do it without having to watch over him.

I spent the morning doing housework and attempting to keep Josh occupied, which was a full-time job in itself. By lunchtime when Rose called, I was exhausted due to both a lack of energy and a lack of sleep. After much arguing, I managed to convince her that it really wasn't worth coming over right now. She finally conceded and agreed that she would come over one night next week with Alice and we could have a girly catch up. I was thankful for that because as much as I loved and needed my friends, all I really wanted at the moment was to be left alone.

I spent the rest of the day and the evening alone with Josh, locked away in the sanctuary of our apartment. Although his temperature had improved greatly throughout the day, he wasn't fully back to being himself. He was still incredibly grizzly at times, but he was so much better than he was just one day ago.

By the time I put him to bed a little after 8pm, my eyelids were drooping of their own accord. I hadn't had any quality sleep over the last week and I knew that both my body and mind needed it.

I fell into bed not long afterwards and curled up into a protective ball, willing sleep to come and claim me.

Four hours later and I was still awake, as much as I tried I couldn't get my mind to switch off. Thoughts of Edward raced through my head over and over again...The way he made me laugh, the gentle touches, the creases at the corner of his eyes when he smiled, and the way that he held me in his sleep and the worst one of all, the way that he looked through me when he told me that our relationship was over.

Sleep must have eventually claimed me and I was woken early by the sound of Josh crying in his room. I must have jumped out of bed far too quickly as a sudden spell of dizziness washed over me and I had to sit back down for a moment until it passed. After a few deep breaths I felt better and stood a little slower this time before making my way to fetch my little man.

He was standing in his cot holding onto the frame with tears rolling down his face when I entered his room. He automatically held open his arms to me and I scooped him up and brought him close, nuzzling my cheek into his auburn hair.

I quickly got him fed, cleaned and ready for the day before sitting him down in the middle of my bed so that I could get dressed. I slid into my underwear and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a white shirt from my closet. It was obvious after putting them on that I had lost quite a lot of weight. The skinny jeans were meant to be tight in all of the right places but now they just hung off of me, and the shirt which was supposed to be fitted around the waist looked ridiculous. It had only been one week, how on earth can anyone lose that amount of weight in such a short space of time? I whipped the offending shirt off of my body and replaced it with a big baggy sweater and looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked awful, my eyes were sunken with dark circles underneath them and my cheeks looked slightly hollow. Still, it was nothing that some skilfully applied make up couldn't hide. At least my loss of curves was now covered up due to my overly sized tent of a sweater.

I threw my hair up into a messy bun, skilfully applied my make up and revaluated myself in the mirror, deciding that I was good to go. I didn't look that much different to what I'd looked like before and made a mental note to thank Alice and Rose for all the make-up tips that I never thought I would use.

By a quarter to eleven my heart was in my mouth. I knew that Edward would be here shortly to pick up Josh. I was dreading it. The weekends were the only real time that I got to spend with my little man and now I had to learn to share him. I had gone over and over the scenario in my head. When Edward came, I wouldn't be the fragile weeping mess that I had become. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of it. Instead I would be happy, smiley, helpful Bella, the Bella who had been dumped, but who had bounced right back. That was now the face that I would portray for everyone who I came into contact with. I didn't want sympathy and sorrowful looks, I didn't deserve them.

Edward knocked on the door right on time. I smoothed down my tent of a sweater, patted my hair into place, and put on the fakest smile that I could muster before swinging the door open to greet him.

"Hi, come on in, you're right on time," I said happily as he stepped through the door looking rather confused.

Boy, did he look good. He wore a loose pair of faded denim jeans that were slung low onto his hips and a plain black t-shirt that was just tight enough to show off the well defined muscles of his chest. I swallowed hard, before putting my happy-go-lucky mask back into place.

"Would you like a drink or anything before you get going?" I offered him cheerfully.

"No... Thanks," he said as an afterthought. "I'm just here for Josh, is he ready?" he asked, sounding completely indifferent towards me.

Josh must have heard his name mentioned and looked up from playing with his toys. His face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw Edward standing in the doorway and crawled over to him as fast as lightning.

Edwards face was full of emotion as he scooped up Josh and held him tightly to his chest. Realization hit me that this was the first time that he had seen or held Josh as his son rather than just the child of his ex-girlfriend.

It was a really beautiful sight to see, Edward clinging to Josh like his life depended on it. I placed my hand on his back and rubbed it reassuringly, letting him know that it was okay.

It was the wrong move to make as Edward visibly stiffened and moved away from my touch, glaring at me as he did so.

"Sorry," I muttered as I stepped away embarrassed.

He didn't respond to me and instead picked up Josh's coat and his changing bag.

"You'll need his car seat as well," I said as brightly as I could manage, trying to put the mask back into place.

"That won't be necessary," he said softly. It was the nicest tone that he had taken with me all week, "I've bought one and had it fitted already."

"Okay," I looked at him but he refused to meet my eyes.

"I'll bring him back around 6 o'clock if that's alright?" he asked as he threw the changing bag over his shoulder.

"Um, yeah, that's great. He has some Orajel and Tylenol in there," I indicated towards the changing bag. "He's teething and is being grouchy at times, but he should be fine."

"Has he had any Tylenol this morning?" he asked with concern.

"I gave him some around an hour ago. His temperature isn't high, so he might not need anymore, but if he does, it's in the bag."

"Thanks," he said nodding in understanding.

"Right, come on Josh, let's make a move. We have a big day ahead of us," he said as he smiled to my little man.

I ruffled Josh's hair and gave him a kiss goodbye. "Be a good boy for Edward," I told him cheerfully.

"Daddy," Edward corrected me. "He should call me Daddy!"

**A/N **

**So, Edward accepts Josh but rejects Bella. It won't come as a huge shock to most of you.**

**It also looks like Assward is back, at least for the time being anyway. **

**A few of you have asked how often I update, and the answer to that is every two days. The next one will be Tuesday am (UK time,) it will be a very short chapter that was originally meant as an outtake from Edward POV followed by the next real chapter.**

**Thanks again for all of your comments and reviews 855 of them at the time of writing this, all I can say is WOW. I never expected the kind of response that this story has received. Keep em coming!**


	23. EPOV

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N**

**This is just a short insight into Edward's pov. It was originally intended as an outtake but several of you have asked for an idea of Edward's thoughts.**

Feeling as if I am on auto-pilot, I climb the steps to the company jet, take my seat across the aisle from Emmett and fasten up the seatbelt. I take no notice of the hostess as she stands beside me; did she just ask me something? I really don't even have the strength to look at her and find out. I fidget in my seat in an attempt to get comfortable, but can't. If I could just rest for an hour maybe my mind wouldn't be as jaded.

I haven't had even a wink of sleep. Every time I try, my mind takes me back. Why did she have lie? I really thought she was different than all the others. What is it that she's trying to gain...Money? That's what every other woman out there seems to have wanted me for... does she really think I'm that stupid?

She really did a number on me, reeling me in and casting me back out. Surely she knew exactly what game she was playing?

I sat back in my seat as the plane taxied for take off, pretty soon we would be home, back in Seattle and back to face the fall out!

Bella thankfully had left me alone over the last day or so, but before that, it was a different story. She bombarded me with voice messages begging me to let her explain, all of which I ignored. I think she finally got the message that she was the last person I wanted to talk to or listen to. If I did hear her voice, I knew I would crumble. There was no denying that I still had feelings for her. I was trying so hard not to, especially when I think about what she's kept from me.

When I close my eyes, I can picture the look on her face as she told me that Josh was mine. It was sheer sorrow and fear. I couldn't stand around and listen to anything else. I just had to get out, away from the building and away from her, I couldn't breathe.

Was Josh mine? If so why has she kept it hidden? We were lovers and friends...Or so I thought!

Over the last couple of days I'd had time to think, and at first I wouldn't accept it. How could Josh be mine? I was always careful and never had sex without a condom. But Emmett had been quick to do the math and the dates really did add up. Countless times I had pulled out my phone and stared at the picture in front of me, it was of Bella and Josh at his first birthday party, the photo was now ingrained in my memory. Bella looked stunning as the breeze blew her hair away from her face, her eyes lit with excitement and love as she held Josh proudly in her arms. Josh grinning a toothy smile, his hair wild not quite knowing which direction to lay in...Just like mine. His green eyes sparkling in excitement...Just like mine!

How could I have been so stupid to have not seen it before? I had a son, one that I had already grown to love.

What was I going to do?

Thought's whirled around in my head like a tornado at full force.

There had to be some ulterior motive behind her not telling me. It crushed me from the inside out knowing that the one and only woman who I wanted in my life had kept something as important as this hidden from me. I was the last to know. Even Emmett knew before I did.

I had choices to make and fast!

I knew I couldn't walk away from Josh if he really was mine and I'm ninety-nine percent sure that he is, but in the back of my mind, there's that niggling doubt that Bella has brought about herself. If he really is mine, why did she not tell me right away? We wouldn't be having to go through all of this now if she had. Yes, it would have been a shock, and yes, I would have probably freaked out, but I would have accepted it, we could have been a family.

We still could be if I could get my head around the fact that she lied. But if she could lie to me about something as important as this, what else can she lie about?

I must have finally succumbed to sleep thankfully, as the next thing I knew Emmett was shaking me awake as we came in to land at Sea-Tac. We came to a stand still, I grabbed my bag thanked the hostess, _what for I wasn't quite sure_, and climbed into the back of the awaiting car ready to head back to my apartment.

As I entered through the door, I placed my bags down and listened to the messages on my answering machine, there were none from Bella! I walked around running my hands around the surfaces. I had never noticed how cold and alone I felt here before. Opening the door to one of the guest rooms I pictured it decked out with toys, a small bed, and Josh playing in the corner. A smile came to my face. I couldn't deny Josh. He was my son and there was no way that I would be kept apart from him. But what about Bella? Could I be apart from her? I had strong feelings for her I knew that much, I felt a connection with her from the first moment I saw her, but never really understood it. But the fact remains that she lied. Did I want to be in a relationship with someone who could lie to me so easily? Thoughts ran through my mind and even as pulled on my coat, I hadn't decided what I should do. All I knew was that I needed to see her!

Without thinking, I picked up my pen and scribbled on the paper of my checkbook. Josh was my son and I needed to do the right thing by him. That meant supporting him financially as well as emotionally, and I would do everything possible to ensure that both of those things happened.

Before I knew it, I was standing outside Bella's apartment. I must have been in such a daze that I couldn't even remember how I got here.

The feeling I felt as she opened the door took me aback, how can you adore someone so much and resent them at the same time?

We sat and talked, Bella told me her side of the story and to be truthful, it had very little effect on the way I felt. She looked defeated and drained, but I couldn't bring myself to care. This was all her own doing and the more that she spoke. the more I resented her for keeping my son away from me.

I told her that I wanted visitation and a DNA test. The DNA might be a little excessive, but I needed proof.

All the time I sat there listening to her sob story of how she just needed a little time to come to terms with things, my anger towards her kept growing. I cared so much about this woman, I just thank God that I hadn't humiliated myself further by telling her this. I knew I had to get out of there before I blew my fuse.

I stood to leave, but Bella kept on talking, asking ridiculous things about us. Surely, if she really cared about us, she should have thought about that before keeping knowledge of my son away from me?

What I did next was wrong, but with all the pent up anger and hurt that was inside me I just couldn't stop myself. I basically shoved the check in her hand and told her she'd earned it. I walked out of her apartment and sat in my car with my head in my hands. Why had I just done that? I had told Bella that our relationship was over, and basically called her a whore when I knew that she was anything but that.

Regret hit me instantly, Bella didn't deserve what I had just thrown at her but it was too late. What's done is done. Bella and I were over, despite what I felt for her!

**A/N**

**Well, it looks like we have one very hurt and confused Edward. His head is all over the place and he doesn't know how to react or what to think.**


	24. Chapter 23

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 23**

I closed the door behind Edward leaving with Josh and made my way across to the sofa to sit down before my legs gave way. I had conflicting emotions whirling around inside my head. On one hand I was so happy that Josh now had the father who I never imagined we would find, yet on the other hand, it felt as though Josh was being taken away from me.

It had always just been the two of us, our worlds revolving around one another with no one coming between that Mother and Son bond. I knew in my heart that life was never going to be the same again.

I sat hosting my own solo pity party for about two hours before pulling myself together. I had grocery shopping to do and Josh's meals to prepare and cook for the week. I threw my coat over my arm and made my way out of the door. It was crisp outside and after walking for several minutes, I decided that I did indeed need my coat on and pulled it quickly over my shoulders.

It was refreshing to be able to take my time and stroll at my own pace; it was just what I needed. My head was full of all things Edward, and by the time I reached the market, all thoughts of him had disappeared. I knew it was only temporary and that as soon as I got back home, my head would be whirling around with thoughts of him once more. Still, it was nice to feel normal again.

I never thought that I would say this, but I actually enjoyed my grocery shopping. I bought bags full of fresh fruits and vegetables, some chicken, ground beef, fresh fish and cubed lamb. I'd have enough to make Josh two weeks worth of meals and couldn't wait to get home and make a start. I bought my own weight in yogurt not just for Josh, but for myself as well. Yogurt and fresh fruit were the only foods that I seemed to have an appetite for these days, so I treated myself to some wildflower blossom honey to drizzle over the top.

I had so much fun being able to take my time and look at the various items that by the time I'd finished, I had so many bags I was unable to carry them all and ended up having to flag a cab. I also had a whole new appreciation for Alice's love of shopping. Ok, it was a different kind of shopping, hers being clothes and accessories, mine being groceries, but the concept was the same.

I made it back to the apartment a little before 4pm and dropped the bags on the kitchen counter with a loud sigh. I was exhausted and I'd hardly done anything. I knew that I only had a couple of hours before Edward brought Josh home. I hoped he was okay. I really wanted to phone Edward and ask him, but I knew that wasn't really an option. It would just give Edward another reason to hate me, and he would see it as interfering in his time with Josh. So instead I pushed back my worries and unpacked the bags before I poured myself a coffee with a little sugar in it hoping that it would give me a boost.

Eventually I got myself organized and the smells from the kitchen made my mouth water as I made quick work of putting together several small dishes of chicken pot pie, vegetable stew, lasagne, and a beef casserole. At least no-one could accuse me of not feeding Josh I thought as I sat to the table with a sandwich, yogurt, and a handful of blueberries. The sandwich ended up in the bin as I just couldn't face it even though I did manage two small bites. However, I did finish off the blueberries and yogurt so at least that was something.

Shortly afterwards as the dishes were cooling down, I heard several small taps at the door. There was no surprise for guessing who this could be as I rose from my seat, smoothing down my clothes and patting my hair to make sure that it was all in place. I couldn't help smiling as I opened the door and scooped up Josh from Edward's arms pulling him to me and giving him a huge kiss and a cuddle.

"I've missed you," I told him as I peppered his face with kisses as I walked with him over to the living area. "Come on in," I called nonchalantly over my shoulder towards Edward. I wasn't about to show him how his mere presence affected me so much.

"Have you been good for Edw... err, Daddy?" I asked Josh, blushing as I did so. I glanced awkwardly at Edward who was placing Josh's bag down by the door. He showed no emotion as he straightened up and looked at me with indifference.

"How's he been?" I asked quietly, unsure as to what response I would receive in return.

"He's been good," he told me quite abruptly. It was obvious from his tone and his stance that he wanted to talk to me as little as possible. I really wanted to ask him about their day, where had they been, what had they done, but knew that it would all be pointless.

"He started to get grouchy around 4pm, so I gave him some Tylenol. He had a 20 minute nap not long afterwards." I couldn't help but notice how tired Edward looked himself, either Josh had worn him out, or could it be that he wasn't sleeping either. I scrapped that last idea, this is the way that Edward wanted things I quickly reminded myself.

"Has he has anything to eat? I have some food cooling down if he needs anything."

Edward pushed his hand through his hair. "He had some chicken and rice with me not long ago, so he should be good."

I raised my eyebrow in surprise and for the first time in almost a week I saw a faint smile ghost across Edward's lips.

"I didn't cook it," he said in light amusement before putting his mask back in place. "It was in a jar."

I took that as my cue not to ask anymore questions.

"Okay...Thanks," I simply replied, as Josh started to bang his hands against the keys of his piano making a God awful racket.

I glanced over at Edward who looked uncomfortable standing by the door shifting his weight from one foot to the other. I really wanted to ask him to sit down and join me for a coffee, but I knew that that idea would be pointless.

"I'd better be going. Is it okay if I have him for an hour on Wednesday after work?" he asked questioningly.

"Um, yeah, that's fine... I was actually going to ask if I could take Wednesday afternoon off. It's just that I don't really want Leah at the hospital with us for the DNA, and it would be asking a lot of her to travel all the way back out just to pick up Josh for the few remaining hours that she would have him. Obviously, I'll make the time up," I was rambling now and I knew it, so did Edward.

He thought about what I'd just said, "Yeah, that should be fine, I'll ask someone to cover you for the afternoon." He paused for a while before rubbing his hand over his cheek and up through his hair. "Look, about the DNA..."

"It's okay, Edward...Really, I get it," I told him with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Do you?" he asked, his tone sounding not quite sure.

"Yes," I said quietly, not able to look at him any longer.

"I know Josh is mine, I believe you on that, I just need proof in black and white. Let's face it, you lied long enough. I just need to make sure for my own piece of mind."

That final remark was like a red rag to a bull, "I didn't lie," I spat. "I just withheld the truth for a while, and I was going to tell you that night."

"Of course you were," he sneered.

Josh stopped banging the keys on the piano and crawled over to me, pulling himself up. He looked scared, he wasn't used to hearing people argue and my heart clenched at the sight of his worried little face. I picked him up and soothed him.

"I think you'd better leave, Edward, this isn't good for Josh," I said quietly not wanting to worry my little man any further.

I heard Edward inhale deeply before he walked over to us; he bent down and ruffled Josh's hair before kissing the top of his head.

"I'm sorry," I heard him mutter to Josh as he stood up straight and walked out of the door closing it firmly behind him.

I sat and stared at the closed door. Normally this was point that I would break into tears and feel sorry for myself, but I didn't feel sad this time. I was angry. I was pissed at Edward for not only upsetting Josh, but for calling me a liar at any Goddamn opportunity.

If that's the way that he wanted to play it, then fine, two can play that game. From now on all Edward would see was feisty Bella. In fact, that's all anyone would see. I didn't need people's pitying stares and gentle words... okay, yes I did, but from now on no-one would know that. I could be strong and confident for the whole world to see. The only person who would really know how I was feeling would be me, and that suited me just fine.

I put Josh to bed that night and set to work on my master plan. I rummaged through my closet trying on outfits that would hide my weight loss and still look good on me. After around an hour of sorting through things I carefully chose an A line knee length black pencil skirt and a red silk blouse for work the next day. I wanted to feel good about myself. I couldn't pull off being confident without looking my best, and so for the first time in ages I jumped into the shower, exfoliated my entire body and applied a light coat of shimmering fake tan. The next thing was to sort through my make up... Where were Alice and Rose when I needed them? No, scratch that idea, I wouldn't even be telling my best friends about my plan, it was too close to home. If I told them how I was really feeling, they could let it slip to Emmett and Jasper, and that could so easily get back to Edward. No, this was the time to reel everything in and keep it all to myself.

Once again I cried myself to sleep that night with thoughts of Edward running through my mind. I missed him so much, and just knowing that I had messed things up beyond repair ate away at me. It was never my intention to hurt him, but I needed to show him that I wouldn't let him walk all over me. He couldn't keep throwing everything back in my face even if I did deserve it.

I put on my mask and walked into the office the next day with a spring in my step and my head held high, receiving several curious glances as I smiled and bid my good mornings. Even Tanya seemed surprised and instead of her trademark sneer, I received a totally bewildered look along with a slightly raised hand which was intended to be a wave.

As the doors to the elevator opened on the 17th floor, I was greeted by the sight of Carlisle and Edward who were chatting in the foyer each with a pile of paperwork in their hands. My mask temporarily slipped at the sight of Edward looking so hot in a tight fitting burgundy suit, most men wouldn't be able to pull off such a color, but he did. The pants were slim fitting and clung to every muscle on his firm thighs, I'm sure a whimper left my throat when I was treated to the sight of his perfect ass as he bent to pick up a paper from the floor which Carlisle had accidently dropped.

Mask firmly back in place, I strode off the elevator and over to my office.

"Good morning Carlisle, Edward," I greeted them cheerily as I walked past offering them both a smile.

"Good morning, Bella," I heard Carlisle call after me.

I never heard a reply from Edward, but that was fine- at least he was consistent.

I closed the office door and flung my bag down at the side of my desk before flopping lazily into my chair. This was going to be harder than I imagined I thought as I leaned forward putting my elbows on the desk and placing my face into the palms of my hands. Could I really pull off this charade of "_I'm fine, I got over you"? _Of course I could! According to Edward I was the best liar in the world, and to be fair, he really couldn't care less how much I was hurting inside anyway. He'd probably get one hell of a kick out of it if he knew.

I pulled my chair forward and slumped back against it, I had a mountain of work to be getting through, and at least that would take my mind off of things for a while I thought as I booted up the computer.

At lunchtime I popped my head around Edward's office door.

"I'm off to lunch, is there anything you need before I go?" I asked out of politeness.

He didn't even bother looking up from whatever it was that he was doing before answering me with a clipped tone, "No, I'm fine, you go ahead."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement even though he wasn't looking at me and closed the door. Inwardly my heart shattered into a million pieces at his obvious hatred for me, but on the outside the mask was firmly in place. I can do this, I smiled to myself.

I didn't want to hide myself away in the office over lunchtime like I had been doing previously... well, actually I did, but this was the new '_I'm-over-you' Bella_ and she wouldn't hide, she would go out and enjoy her free time.

I made my way out of the building and strolled over to the park purchasing a coffee on the way. It was warm outside and hadn't rained for a couple of days, which I was happy about as it meant that my favorite bench was dry. I took a seat and spent the next hour people watching. It was fascinating watching as people went about their everyday lives oblivious to everything around them. Stressed out moms running after young children, business men glancing at watches running late for a meeting, joggers desperately trying to get fit, and the older generation casually walking along pointing things out and reminiscing about the past... everyone had a story to tell. What would my story be? I dreaded to think!

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, I stayed behind later to make up for some of the time that I would be taking off on Wednesday; and even though I threw myself into my work, the time still dragged by. A little after six I heard the familiar sound of the ding from the elevator. As far as I knew everyone had left the office for the day and only myself and Edward remained. Curious, I opened my office door only to be faced with a very tall, very attractive blonde goddess dressed in what I can only describe as an outfit to die for. Alice would be fawning all over her if she could see her now. Her dress consisted of a strapless white bodice that contained intricate detailing in silver beads of several shades; the solid color white skirt of the dress flowed delicately down to floor length gracing beautifully over her no doubt stunning legs.

She gave me a genuinely warm smile as I approached her, a smile which I found myself easily returning. "Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Hi. Yes, I'm here to see Edward Cullen. We have a dinner meeting, I'm Chris Cooper." She held out her hand for me to shake as I gulped back a lump that magically appeared in my throat. So this was Chris Cooper from Cooper, Whyat, and Greene. I could kick myself because for some reason I had expected Chris to be a man, but no, she had to be a stunningly beautiful woman about to go out on a dinner date... no, dinner meeting, I mentally corrected myself, with the love of my life.

I shook her hand and smiled warmly at her...Mask in place, Bella, mask in place.

"I'll just let Mr. Cullen know that you're here," I told her with a fake smile that I hope looked genuine.

I tentatively knocked on Edward's door and heard a faint voice shout "come in."

Edward had changed his suit and was now dressed in a black two piece with a white undershirt. He looked amazing and very, very hot. I felt my face blush as my eyes locked with his through the mirror as he straightened his black silk tie.

"Edward, Chris Cooper from Cooper, Whyat, and Greene is here to see you," I said trying to sound professional... I think I pulled it off.

"Thank you, could you show her in?"

"Certainly," I replied, and gave him my best smile.

I showed Miss Cooper into Edward's office and couldn't help notice how she walked straight over to him as though they were old friends.

"Edward, it's lovely to see you again," she said as she hugged him close.

"It's been a long time, Chris," he told her as he hugged her back and gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek, "God, you look stunning!"

I couldn't take anymore as I closed the door behind me hearing their laughter as I did so. If I thought that Edward had previously shattered my heart I was wrong, because what I was feeling now was ten times worse. I walked back into my office and shut down the computer before grabbing my purse. Forget about making up the hours, all I wanted to do now was to go home to Josh and wallow in my own self pity.

I pressed the button to call the elevator and waited patiently... and waited... and waited.

Eventually I heard a door open and it didn't belong to the elevator. I could hear laughter, Edward's laughter, I hadn't heard that sound in what seemed like a very long time.

"Are you leaving for the day?" I heard the voice of little Miss Goddess speak from the behind me.

Was she talking to me? I turned to see herself and Edward standing slightly behind me also waiting for the elevator. It didn't escape my notice that they were also arm in arm.

_Mask in place, Bella, keep that mask in place!_

I smiled sweetly at her, "Yes, I am, it's getting late and I have a son to get home to."

I glanced over at Edward who just glared at me with a warning in his eyes that basically said,_ please_ _don't fuck this up for me_. Jeez, indifferent Bella could have so much fun with this, but I needed to be careful. I did need to keep my job after all.

"Aww, you have a son, how sweet. How old is he?" she asked sounding genuinely interested.

"He was one just last week," I told her smiling as I remembered just how happy we had all been on that day.

Thankfully, the elevator arrived and we all made our way inside. Edward pressed the button for the ground floor and we all stood in awkward silence as the floor numbers counted down. I couldn't help notice in the reflection of the doors how little Miss Goddess casually rubbed her hand up and down Edward's arm as she smiled seductively at him; neither did it escape my notice how Edward looked down at her and returned that smile.

I genuinely had no idea how on earth I managed to keep the mask in place as the doors opened and Edward placed his hand gently on little Miss Goddess's lower back as he escorted her out.

"Goodnight, have a great evening," I called cheerfully as they walked ahead of me towards their awaiting car.

"Good night," little Miss Goddess called over her shoulder. Edward turned around and furrowed his brow at me not saying anything in return before bending down and whispering something in her ear. Their laughter was left ringing in my ears as I watched them climb into the back of the awaiting car and drive away.

I eventually managed to flag down a cab and gave the driver my address before finally letting the mask slip as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

**A/N **

**Before I get strung up alive I'd just like to say that Edward is NOT cheating or seeing anyone else, not now or anywhere else in this story. Chris Cooper is an old friend** **and business associate.**

**Phew, I'm glad that's cleared up. **

**I love how you are all so passionate about this story. It looks as though we have a very clear divide between team Edward and team Bella... Can I be biased and be team both of them? **

**They are both flawed, both have made mistakes, Edward needs to grow up, Bella needs to man up but deep down inside they are both good people.**

**It's hard to believe just how well received this story has been, thanks again for all of your reviews, pm's and support... Can we push the review count over 1000 with this chapter?**


	25. Chapter 24

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 24**

I don't know how I managed to feed Josh and maintain our bedtime routine without breaking down, but somehow I did it. I needed to be strong for my little man and getting upset in front of him would be seriously bad. Babies pick up on these things and the few raised words that I'd had with Edward yesterday proved that.

Once I had him settled, I showered and changed into my pajama's, I grabbed a handful of berries as I made my way past the kitchen into the living room where I curled up onto the sofa pulling my legs up to my chin. I popped the berries into my mouth one by one and chewed them slowly as I thought about what had happened earlier.

It was pretty obvious that Edward had already moved on from our relationship. Had I really meant so little to him? Thank God that I hadn't told him that I loved him, he would have gotten a real kick out of that little gem I'm certain.

What I can't understand is why he's so cold towards me. Okay, I know that I've hurt him, and he can't stand to even be in the same room as I am... and when he is, he refuses to talk unless he's forced to... But why does he treat me like I'm non-existent?

The only good thing to come out of today was my decision to put the mask firmly in place. It worked and I was quite proud of myself for maintaining it even when I was faced with the sight of Edward and another woman. I wonder if he expected me to have a public meltdown. He certainly looked confused as he glanced over his shoulder at me as I cheerfully told them to have a good evening.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, 9:30 p.m. I wonder what they're doing now. They will have finished their meal that's for certain. Would he be dancing with her? Holding her body tightly to his as he twirled her around the dance floor? Would he be nuzzling his face into her hair the way he used to do with me? Or worse, maybe they couldn't keep their hands off one another and got themselves a room.

The rational part of my brain told me that it was just a dinner meeting, the larger and more irrational part told me that it was more. I had seen with my own eyes the way that they hugged one another, how his lips had lingered on her cheek when he kissed her and how comfortable Edward looked as little Miss Goddess ran her hand up and down his arm.

I didn't even realize that I was crying yet again until I felt the tears roll off of my cheeks and onto my hands. I stretched and reached across the coffee table to pull out a tissue from the box. I was so fed up with crying, it was all I seemed to do these days. Edward didn't want me, he'd made that perfectly obvious, so why was I wasting my time crying over him?

If my Dad was here and could see what a mess I had made, he'd simply say "Pull yourself together, girl, no man is worth your tears, there's plenty more fish in the sea."

I smiled at the thought, I could just picture Charlie standing there giving me 'the talk'. Maybe I should go and spend a few days with him, recharge the old batteries and pull myself together.

I was pulled out of my musings as I heard a key in the lock. Damn Alice, I thought to myself as I quickly wiped all evidence of tears from my eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here at this time?" I asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Well, excuse me for being a good friend!" she mumbled sarcastically as she flopped down on the sofa beside me and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Alice, it after 9:30, what are you doing here so late?"

"Jasper is 'jamming' or something or other with a friend down the road," she said doing the little air quote signs with her fingers. "I told him I'd pick him up at 10:30 because his car's in the garage." She turned to look at me."Bella, have you been crying again?"

"No."

"Liar."

"Don't call me a liar," I hissed at her desperately trying to put the mask back in place.

"Oh, God, what's the hell's he done now?"

I looked at her with steely determination to shrug everything off, but it was useless. Alice had known me for far too long and could see straight through my act just by one look. I didn't even need to say a word and she knew.

I sighed deeply and filled her in on everything, minus the weight loss obviously. She would have gone ballistic at that. Besides, there was nothing that I really could do about that except eat, and I physically couldn't stomach it.

"So let me get this straight," she said through gritted teeth once I'd finished telling her everything. Although she knew most of it, it wasn't to the extent that I was now filling her in on. "He ignores you, he blanks you, when he does speak to you, it's in as few a words as possible, he openly flirts with another woman in front of you, he calls you a liar at every given opportunity, he calls you a money grabber and insults you by giving you money, and to top it all off, he's asked for a DNA test?"

"That about sums it up," I said with a nod of the head.

Alice stared at me with her mouth ajar... "Well, I never," she finally spoke to herself more than to me. Then a slight smile crept up her face.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, I just need to speak to Rose about something," she told me shrugging her shoulders. "But I'll tell you something, Bella, if that self-pitying son-of-a-bitch keeps behaving like he is, he'll be pulling my size 5 stilettos out of his backside."

I sniggered at the thought. Alice may be small, but I'd never met a scarier woman when crossed.

"Please don't tell Jasper," I said suddenly panicked at the thought.

"Don't worry about that. Jasper and I have an understanding; he doesn't spill to me about what Edward tells him, and I don't spill to him about what you tell me."

"Edward talks to Jasper about me?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. "He wouldn't tell me if he did. We just made the pact from the beginning. That way we can't argue over it," she smiled.

I slowly nodded in understanding and I suddenly had a whole new appreciation for the relationship that they had built up.

"You and Jasper are really serious!" I stated more as a fact than a question.

A huge grin spread across her face. "Yes," she nodded, "I really love him, Bella, and he loves me too."

Tears sprung to my eyes, but for the first time in ages, they were tears of happiness.

"I'm so happy for you both," I said genuinely as I threw my arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks," she replied, hugging me back.

"Now about you," she said as we pulled apart and she handed me a tissue. "I _LOVE_ the mask idea," she giggled. "I bet Edward didn't have a clue what was going on when you told them both to have a good evening." She laughed even more as she thought about it and for the first time, I actually joined in.

She stilled for a moment and went serious. "What do you actually want?"

"What do you mean?"

She sighed an exasperated breath, "I mean, do you want to show him that he hasn't broken you or do you want him back?"

"I love him, Alice."

"Well, that answers the question," she said as she patted my knee. "Jeez, is that the time? I better go and fetch Jazz," she jumped out of her seat. "Just do yourself a favor and keep that mask in place. It's obviously worked wonders today. I'll have a word with Rose, and before you say anything, she won't spill to Emmett either. By the time we've finished, Edward won't know what's hit him. Oh, and cook something nice for dinner tomorrow. Rose and I will be here about 7:00, and we'll be starving. We all need full stomachs if we're going to cook up '_Operation -Give Edward a Taste of His Own Medicine'_..." she clapped her hands in glee as ideas started flowing through her head.

"Alice, you're going to be late!" I laughed at her.

"Oh, God, yeah, gotta go," she bounced her way over to the door in excitement. "See you tomorrow," she called as the door closed behind her.

I was left feeling bewildered by the little tornado who I called my friend. In less than one short hour she had listened to me, comforted me, made me laugh, and pulled me back together. I loved that girl. The only thing that I was worried about was having a meal tomorrow. Of course I wanted to eat and I would certainly try, but I didn't need a full blown lecture if I couldn't manage it. I put that thought to the back of my mind. I'd deal with that tomorrow.

I couldn't believe that I had actually slept. I felt so much better for confiding in Alice, and I know I should have told her everything from the start instead of trying to keep it all bottled up. There was no doubt in my mind that Rose would also know the whole story by now, and maybe tonight we could all figure out a way of getting Edward to forgive me. I still felt uneasy about how cozy he looked with little Miss Goddess, and I hoped and prayed that nothing had happened between them ... but I wasn't about to give up without a fight. I had spent over a week feeling sorry for myself and now it was time to pull up my big girl panties and fight for what I really wanted.

My only concern was how to go about it. I knew Rose and Alice inside and out. I also knew that they play dirty when they have to, just what did they expect from me? Well, I was going to find out sooner rather than later, that's for sure.

In the meantime I just have to make sure that whenever I'm around Edward, I keep the mask firmly in place. The last thing I wanted is for him to realize just how much I was suffering inside. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

So once again I stepped into the office with my mask firmly in place waving a cheery good morning to everyone who I passed. I left the elevator on the 17th floor and smiled happily at Irena and Victoria, I exchanged a few pleasantries with Carlisle, who asked if he and Esme could see Josh again soon. I promised that they could and made my way into my office closing my door behind me before briefly letting the mask slip in order to gather my thoughts.

I stood at the window looking out over the city, people and cars rushing around like cats chasing mice as the city came to life for another morning of existence. Taking several deep breaths to clear my head, I eventually put the mask back into place and took a seat at my desk ready to start work for the day. I didn't have much time to compose myself before Edward entered the office.

"Good morning!" I smiled happily at him. He looked tired as though he might have had only a few hours sleep, but even that didn't detract from the fact that he still looked amazing in his grey suit and black button down shirt. His black tie hung loosely around his neck and his hair was tussled in several directions as though he had been running his hands running through it repeatedly.

He looked confusingly at me as I sat behind my desk smiling. It was almost as though he was expecting me to be the sad pathetic mess that he had become to expect over the past week_. _

_Well, Mr. Cullen, you're in for a shock because this girl is so over you!_ Not really obviously, but that's what I wanted him to believe.

He stood up straight and for a brief moment it looked to me as if he had let his own mask slip before righting it.

"Morning," he murmured automatically as he placed a file an inch thick on my desk. "Can you see to this right away? Everything else can wait."

I glanced across at the papers sat at the edge of the desk and raised an eyebrow; it was the Cooper, Whyat and Greene file.

"Chrissie signed on the dotted line last night, so it means that there's going to be a lot more work around here. I'd like to get the ball rolling and start right away. I need you to pull a meeting together with myself, Chrissie, my father, Mike and Gregg as soon as possible."

"Of course, I'll take care of it right away," I said producing the world's biggest and fakest smile. So it was Chrissie now was it? Not Chris, nor Miss Cooper, or even Little Miss Goddess, it was Chrissie, a very intimate first name term, something that a family member, a close friend or even a lover would use.

I swallowed thickly at the thought of them being lovers. It was a damn good job that I was sitting down because I knew that if I was standing, my knees would be giving way at this point... Mask in place, Bella, don't let it slip now!

"Is there anything else?" I asked as brightly as I could.

Edward eyed me curiously. "No, that's it for now," as he turned quickly on his heels and walked away closing the door behind him.

I breathed a sigh of relief, at least I thought it was relief, it could have been anger. Could he have really moved on so easily? Had I really meant so little to him that after only a week he had found a replacement for me? All the facts added up; Edward was, after all, a self-confessed womanizer. Even his own family had confirmed that. It all made sense, the little 'pet' name, the way that they fawned all over each other last night, the familiarity between them and the way that Edward looked like he hadn't had an ounce of sleep, all of that plus the fact that she had signed on the dotted line so quickly, all pointed to one thing... He was fucking her!

I leaned forward onto the desk and placed my head in my hands before letting out a sob. It hurt so much. I thought that I had meant something to him. I loved him and I hoped that with time that he could love me too. I had made one mistake, and he couldn't find it within himself to forgive me. Had I really meant so little? Tears flowed freely down my face. I knew I had no chance of winning him back now. Not with someone as stunning as Little Miss Goddess on the scene and what made it even worse is that she seemed like a really nice person too. Not the plastic bimbo that Lauren had been. If he'd have gone back to Lauren, then maybe I would have stood a chance. But now there was none.

I let out all the pent up anger and emotion spill out in the space of 20 minutes, my eyes were red and swollen and to be honest, I couldn't bring myself to care. Eventually, I pulled myself together enough to start work and began by tackling the Cooper, Whyat and Greene file.

Later that evening, I found myself serving up a piping hot lasagne and a green country salad to two very hungry and very aggravating friends.

"Just what exactly are you proposing that I do?" I asked them in annoyance as I pushed my small portion of lasagne and a lettuce leaf around my plate.

Alice and Rose had arrived an hour earlier and made their intentions clear, that they thought I should "_open Edward's eyes and make him see what he's missing_," their words not mine!

My answer to that went along the lines of "_who are you kidding? Have you seen his new piece of ass? She's gorgeous!" _

Needless to say that didn't go down well with both of them, who then gave me a whole lecture on having low self esteem.

"Make him suffer," Rose said as she took a large mouthful of garlic bread.

"Don't you think he suffered enough when he found out I'd withheld the knowledge of his son from him?" I asked questioningly.

"You can never make a man suffer enough," she told me seriously as she picked up her glass of wine.

I looked over at Alice and widened my eyes silently pleading with her for help. She shrugged her shoulders and tucked into her lasagne, basically telling me that I was on my own.

"Besides," she continued, "we don't make him suffer as in hurt him. Jeez, Emmett would go ballistic... no, we do it subtly and make him realize what he's lost!"

Alice nodded her head in agreement. "See, I told you it was a good idea to bring Rose into this," as she grinned.

I shook my head in disbelief and forced a small bite of lasagne into my mouth. I chewed it slowly while Alice and Rose discussed "Operation Edward" as though I wasn't even in the room.

I swallowed my lasagne with force and picked up another bite as I listened to them discuss the best course of action.

"She needs a whole new makeover, hair, make up, clothes, spray tan..."

"Alice, I'm not a Barbie doll," I interrupted her.

"Well, obviously," she rolled her eyes. "We just need to make sure that you look drop dead gorgeous at all times, not looking as though you've just fell out of a dumpster," she said eying my sweat pants and t-shirt as if to make a point.

"She's right," Rose piped up. "You need to be unavailable and out of his reach, show him what he's missing."

I dropped my fork down onto the plate and leaned forward. "I think you're both missing the point here. He already knows what he's missing and he chose it to be this way," I told them both sternly.

"Bella," Rose chided. "He's a man, and men don't know what they want until we tell them."

"Amen, to that sister," Alice grinned as they high-fived one another across the dining table.

I gave up as I picked up my fork once again and forced the second bite of lasagne into my mouth. I decided the best course of action would be to shut up and let them get on with it.

"I know what would REALLY get his back up," Rose smiled mischievously.

Alice cocked her head to one side, she was all ears.

"We give Bella the make over and she continues to be all sweetness and light, just like she has been doing with this "mask" of hers and then," she paused for dramatic effect... "She starts to receive the occasional gift at work, a box of chocolates here, and a bouquet of flowers there."

"Oh, I love it," Alice said bouncing in her seat. "Let's make him rage with jealousy. He's going to want back what's his... I love it."

"I don't like this idea," I warned them. "He already calls me a liar and all of this would just be another piece of ammunition towards me when he finds out."

"Bella, why is it a lie? If someone, namely myself or Rose happens to send you a bouquet of flowers to work as a thank you for being such a good friend, it's not our fault if he gets a hold of the wrong end of the stick and thinks that they're from another man!" Self satisfied, she sat back in her chair and grinned at me.

"Whatever," I threw my hands in the air in defeat.

"I think she should wear a sexy bra, tight white shirt and accidently spill a glass of water down herself," Rose winked.

I looked mortified and Alice clapped her hands in delight.

"Ha, I like it," Alice laughed. "But we can't do that yet. It's too soon."

"I agree," Rose conceded. "We need to make sure he has blue balls for that one."

I'd heard enough from the two of them. I stood and took the finished plates to clear away.

"What's wrong, Bella? You've hardly eaten a thing," Alice asked concerned.

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't have much of an appetite at the moment. Besides I had a little something with Josh earlier." This wasn't a lie, I did in fact have some fruit with a little yogurt spooned over the top.

Suitably satisfied, Alice and Rose continued "Operation Edward" while I cleared away the dishes.

Another hour passed and by this time, it was agreed by Rose and Alice that my makeover would happen this weekend while Edward had Josh for the day. In the meantime I was to carry on as normal. I was under strict instructions that I was not to let my mask slip even if Edward was to flaunt Little Miss Goddess in my face... Easier said than done.

I was also reassured that neither Jasper nor Emmett would find out about their plan, although they did both tell me that neither of them would be bothered anyway. Apparently the whole family, including Carlisle and Esme, were upset at Edward's treatment of me.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" I asked uncertainly as they were about to leave.

"Trust us. Have we ever let you down yet?" Rose smiled.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, remembering the time that they had set me up on a date with a guy named Wally. I mean, come on, who names their kid Wally? And to top it off, the guy wore thick horn rimmed glasses and had teeth that a horse would be proud of.

"Ok," she laughed. "Apart from THAT one time, have we ever let you down?"

I shook my head "No, but there's a first time for everything."

"Trust us, Bella," Alice said gently placing her hand on my shoulder. "It will all work out in the end. Edward loves you. He just hasn't realized it himself yet."

Tears welled in my eyes. "Please don't say that," I choked.

"Come here," she said pulling me in for a hug. "It'll all be okay, believe me."

"I wish I could," I told them truthfully.

"You need to get laid," Rose piped up out of nowhere, breaking the tension in the room.

I laughed at that.

"Get yourself to bed and give Roger a good work out," she smirked. "He'll be feeling neglected."

"I'll second that," Alice giggled as she opened the door to leave.

"Go, now, before I throw you out," I joked.

"We're going, we're going," they both laughed as they walked through the door.

"Keep that mask in place," I heard Rose yell before I locked it behind them.

Surprisingly, I slept well that night. Tuesday passed in a blur of reports, meetings, and calls. I worked late that evening trying to make up for the time that I would be taking off to go to the hospital the next day. Edward was his usual indifferent self, avoiding me as much as he could and speaking to me as little as possible when we were forced to interact.

Something had to give sooner rather than later because we couldn't go on like this. Even though I did manage to keep my mask in place, it affected me greatly. I was surprised by the fact that not once that day did I feel like crying. It was as though I'd grown a backbone over night. I loved Edward with all of my heart, and I would be willing to try almost anything to win him back. But slowly inside, I was coming to terms with the consequences of my actions. I found myself wondering on more than one occasion as to whether it would be in both our best interests for me to start looking for work elsewhere.

It was common knowledge what had happened between Edward and myself, a clean break could be the best thing for both of us. It's also much easier to find another job when you're currently in employment, and as I had worked at Cullen international for almost 5 months, I had gained enough current experience to stand a good chance at finding another job in a similar role.

Edward would obviously still see Josh but at least it meant that he would only have to interact with me when he picked him up and dropped him off.

I would still fight for Edward, but as I fell asleep that night, the idea that I needed to find alternate employment turned over and over in my mind.

**A/N**

**Thank you all so much, I asked if we could get 1000 reviews with the last chapter, you by far exceeded it. I actually did a little snoopy dance when I noticed the review count had gone that high. Next time I'll do it Gangnam style. ;)**


	26. Chapter 25

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 25**

Before I knew it, Wednesday was upon us. I arrived at the office an hour early, making up a little of the time that I would be taking off this afternoon. I wasn't worried about the hospital visit at all. I knew that Edward was Josh's father and so did he, it was just a matter of formality.

What I was worried about was spending time alone with Edward. Being around each other was awkward enough at the best of times without having to endure at least two hours of him pretending that I wasn't even in the same room as him.

I had spent time last night thinking about the possibility of leaving Cullen International. Today was no doubt going to be a huge deciding factor in that decision.

Could Edward put his dislike of me to one side and maintain a polite atmosphere while at work? Possibly!

Could he even try to build a friendship for the sake of Josh? Doubtful.

Would he ever want me again in the same way that I wanted him? There was a better chance of seeing a pig flying past my 17th floor window.

The floor was empty when I arrived, all except for Carlisle, who I could see puttering around in his office through his open door.

"Good morning, Carlisle," I called with a smile and little wave as I strode across to my own office.

"Oh, Bella," he called after me just as I reached my office.

I turned on my heels and smiled at him warmly.

"I believe today's the day?" he asked sympathetically with a sad look in his eye.

"It is," I sighed. "I'll be glad to get it over and done with."

He rubbed my arm reassuringly, "Try not to worry, all the family is behind you. We love Edward and will always support him; but you and Joshua are family now, and the same applies to the both of you."

"Thank you," I told him genuinely. "I'm just sorry that it's all come to this."

"We all are," he said sadly. "Bella, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course you can, anything."

"Just don't give up on him." He gave me a small pat on the shoulder and a weak smile before turning around and walking back towards his office leaving me standing there feeling confused.

Carlisle's words were left ringing in my ears as I was brought out of my musings by the ding of the elevator and the sound of the doors slowly opening.

Edward walked out and came to a stand still as he lifted his head and noticed me standing by my office door looking him. He looked tired and even from this distance I could see the forming of dark circles under his eyes.

I blushed as I realized that he must be wondering why on earth I was standing there, let alone watching him. I gave him a weak smile as I turned quickly and entered the office closing the door behind me.

By 9:30 a.m. I'd completed two reports, and I was on a roll, feeling quite happy with myself when the door opened and in strolled Edward. I knew from earlier that he had looked tired but seeing him up close like this, he looked positively exhausted_. It was probably his new piece of ass keeping him up all night. _I mentally kicked myself at the thought of that and quickly put my mask in place.

"Is everything alright?" I asked smiling as he placed a pile of paperwork down on the corner of my desk.

He looked surprised at my cheerfulness. "I've brought these for you to work on. There's no rush, you can do them when you come back to the office tomorrow," he said curtly. I nodded my agreement as he continued to hover as if trying to find a way of saying something else.

"Is there something else that I can help you with?"

"Um, I was just wondering what time you're picking up Josh, and how you were getting to the hospital?" he sounded distant and aloof.

"Well, Leah is dropping Josh off here in," I looked at my watch "around 30 minutes. I figured we'd just get a cab."

"That's going to be expensive," he mused more to himself than to me. "You could just come in my car with me. I have a car seat and I can drop you both off at home afterwards." It sounded to me as though it took him a great deal of effort just to get those words out. Was it really such a hardship to even be pleasant, or even just civil, towards me?

I thought about what he'd just said and realized that if it wasn't for Joshua, he would have never asked me if I needed a ride.

"Its okay, Edward, you don't need to play nice. We can just get a cab and meet you there. Thanks for the offer though." I put my head back down and shuffled several papers that didn't even need shuffling.

Edward didn't move, he still continued standing at the other side of my desk shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

I had no choice but to look up at him, he looked furious and was obviously trying to compose himself. The knot in his jaw was bulging in and out as he clenched his teeth together, and the vein in his temple looked like it was about to pop.

"I wasn't being nice. I was being practical," he said trying to remain calm. "It's raining buckets out there," he pointed to the window and my eyes followed suit. He was right, the weather had turned really bad and it looked like a storm was brewing. "I just don't want you having to wait around in this weather for a cab with Josh. He'll get ill," he exclaimed.

Looking towards the window once more, I saw that the rain was teaming down in sheets against it. It dawned on me that Edward was right, it wasn't fair to Josh. I had to swallow my pride.

I turned back towards him and conceded. "You're right, it wouldn't be fair to Josh. Thank you, Edward, we'll ride with you if the offer still stands."

He visibly relaxed and nodded his head, "Let me know when he gets here. I'm sure my dad and Emmett will want to see him before we leave."

"Okay, no problem," I mustered up my best smile which he didn't return, he simply turned away and walked out of the door... he was good at doing that!

Shortly afterwards, Leah arrived, she had only walked from the cab to the building and both she and Joshua were drenched. I quickly took Josh from her arms and removed his dripping wet coat. Leah herself was soaked to the bone, water was running off of her as though she'd just stepped from the shower.

"Give me one minute," I said holding up a finger to her as I picked up Josh's changing bag.

I quickly ran to Edward's office and opened the door without knocking.

"Here, grab him." Edward gave me a bewildered look as I plopped Josh down into his lap. I threw Josh's soaking wet coat and changing bag down onto the floor beside the desk and ran out of the room as quickly as I ran in.

"Come with me," I said taking hold of Leah's hand and leading her to the ladies' bathroom to get her cleaned up.

I helped her to get out of her coat, thankfully, it was waterproof and the rain hadn't seeped through. Her shirt remained dry, but the same couldn't be said for her jeans; unfortunately, there was nothing we could do about that. I shook the excess water off her coat and wiped it down the best I could before placing it on the heater, hoping to take the worst of the wetness away before she left.

"Here," I said handing her some paper towels. "Sorry, it's the best I can do."

We both started to laugh as she blotted the worst of the water from her hair and face.

"Come here, I have an idea," I told her as I walked over to the hand dryer.

She eyed me curiously but followed me anyway.

"You don't spend years hanging around with Rose and Alice without picking up a few tips," I told her with a wink. "Now bend over."

Leah started to giggle and I followed her lead as she bent over with her head under the hand dryer with me playing hairdresser as I ran my hands through her hair in an attempt to dry it off.

Victoria walked in and burst out laughing at our makeshift hair salon.

"I've seen it all now," she laughed as she made her way into the stall.

15 minutes later and Leah was as dry as she was going to get. I gave her my umbrella, a hug, and told her to enjoy her afternoon off. She whispered "Good luck," and gave a little wave as she disappeared into the elevator.

At that moment Edward strolled out of Carlisle's office holding Josh firmly in his arms. He was chatting away to him without a care in the world and Josh was happily babbling back.

"I heard what happened. Did you get her dried off?" he asked with no sound of resentment.

I was momentarily taken aback at the way he spoke to me so freely. "Um, yes," I smiled. "Well, as dry as we could get her anyway."

"Good," he replied. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y...Yes, I err, just need to get my coat," I was confused by Edward's sudden ability to speak to me as though everything between us was normal. I quickly ran back to my office and slipped into my coat before running into Edward's office to pick up Josh's changing bag.

I made my way over to them waiting by the elevator; Emmett was just leaving Carlisle's office and I noticed him give Edward a narrowing look of the eyes. As soon as he spotted me, Emmett's whole face morphed into a huge grin and he winked at me before disappearing into his own office.

I wondered what I had missed. Something had obviously happened whist I was in the bathroom with Leah; Emmett scowling at Edward, Edward suddenly being civil towards me.

I didn't have time to think about it because by the time I reached them, the elevator arrived.

We made our way inside and once again the atmosphere was tense. Neither of us spoke to one another and the only sound that could be heard was Josh babbling away to himself as he played with the buttons on Edward's jacket.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out into the underground car lot. I took Josh from Edward's arms while he dug out his keys. I noticed that a car seat was already situated in the back for Josh; and as soon as Edward pressed the fob to unlock the doors, I placed him in it checking several times to make sure that the belts were tight enough before placing the changing bag into the foot well below him.

After closing the door I briefly pondered whether to get into the passenger seat beside Edward, or to walk around to the other side of the car and sit in the back beside Josh. Edward must have sensed my dilemma and leaned across and opened the passenger door from the inside.

I hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was no good being childish and climbed into the seat beside him. I reached across for my seatbelt and buckled myself in chancing a quick glance up at Edward. I noticed that his eyes were not trained at the seatbelt that he was buckling up, he was looking elsewhere. I followed his gaze only to blush with embarrassment to realize that he was staring at my legs which were now on full display, due to the fact that my just above knee length skirt had rode up so high that my mid-thighs were now on full view.

I quickly tugged on the hem of my skirt and the furthest that I could lower it was about an inch due to being seated and the restriction of the seat belt. Edward averted his gaze and thankfully, I don't think he realized that I had seen him staring.

He started the engine and turned on the radio for a bit of background noise, and no doubt it was so that I wouldn't talk to him or so he wouldn't have to talk to me.

We made our way out into the busy Seattle traffic which was crawling along due to the appalling weather. The windshield wipers were going as fast as they could, and it still wasn't quick enough to clear away the sheer amount of rain that fell.

We were halfway to the hospital when a loud clap of thunder boomed from above us making me jump and Josh start to cry. I tried soothing him the best I could, but couldn't really do much from the confines of my seatbelt.

"Have a look in the glove compartment, there's some old CD's in there," Edward said calmly.

I glanced across at him and his eyes were firmly fixed on the road ahead.

"What good is that going to do when the radio isn't soothing him?" I said in a clipped tone.

"Just find one," he said with obvious annoyance.

I fumbled around looking for the CD's and finally found a few.

"Classical?" I asked with a raised brow.

I gasped as I skimmed through them and my eyes fell on Suite Bergamasque.

"OMG, you like Debussy!" I offered more of an excited statement than a question. "I used to play this to Josh all the time while I was pregnant. Whenever he wouldn't settle and he was keeping me awake at night, I'd play this and by the time Clair de lune would start, he would have settled down enough for me to sleep."

I was so excited that I'd forgotten about any animosity that Edward held towards me, his lips curled slightly at the edges forming a slight smile.

Another loud clap of thunder boomed out, but this time it was followed by a flash of fork lightning, and I yelped slightly as it made me jump. Josh screamed even louder and I composed myself enough to slip the CD into the player. Edward turned up the sound really loud trying to hide as much outside noise as possible. It seemed to be having a calming effect as Josh's screams turned into a cry, and then eventually a whimper. As if to prove my point I looked into the mirror as Clair de lune started, and sure enough, Josh had fallen asleep.

We arrived at the hospital shortly afterwards, and due to the teaming down rain, Edward dropped us off at the entrance while he found a suitable parking space.

I waited patiently behind the automatic glass doors with a still half-sleeping Josh in my arms. Finally I noticed Edward running towards us; he battled in the wind and rain to keep the umbrella over his head as his long lean legs sprinted him forward. Even fighting his way through a storm, the man still looked incredible.

The doors slid back and a very wet and windswept Edward stepped through, shaking the excess water from his umbrella as he did so, his hair was all over the place, although that wasn't really unusual as he ran his hands through it trying to tame it unsuccessfully.

"Come on, this way," he said reading the signs on the wall directing us to where we needed to be.

I sat Josh in a more comfortable position on my hip and Edward picked up the changing bag as we made our way down the corridor.

"Through here," Edward muttered more to himself than to me as he led us through another set of double doors leading us into a reception area.

"Hello, we're here to see Doctor Laurent," Edward told the receptionist as I took a seat in the waiting area.

After a few moments he came back armed with paperwork.

"You need to fill these in and hand them back," he told me taking a now wide awake Josh from my arms.

I set to work grabbing a pen.

"Charles?" he asked curiously, glancing over my shoulder as I wrote Josh's details on one of the forms.

"After my dad,"

Edward nodded his head in understanding. "Joshua Charles Swan," he repeated to himself over and over. "That needs to change once the results come back."

"Excuse me?!" I asked confused.

"His name, it needs to change, it should be Cullen, Joshua Charles Cullen."

I lifted my head up from the papers and glared at him. Was he being serious?

"Over my dead body," I said.

"My son takes my name," he hissed through his teeth as he signed his own consent form.

"Fine, we'll add Edward in there after Charles," I hissed back. "He was born a Swan and that's the way it's staying."

"Over my dead body," Edward threw my words back at me.

"That can be arranged," I retorted.

I walked back to the receptionist handing over the paperwork; she glanced over it and smiled warmly. "Everything seems to be in order. If you'll just take a seat, Dr. Laurent will call you shortly.

She glanced over at Edward and back to myself, giving me a pitying smile. Our little altercation obviously hadn't gone unheard; I rolled my eyes upward and gave her a shrug of my shoulders. "Don't worry, dear, we get a lot like that," she whispered with a small chuckle.

I leaned forward onto the desk, "Are they all this bad?"

"Oh, believe me I've seen a hell of a lot worse."

I couldn't help smiling to myself as I walked back to my seat, I liked that woman!

"What was all that about?" Edward cocked his head towards the receptionist.

"Nothing that concerns that pretty little head of yours," I replied curtly.

If looks could kill, I would be half way to heaven by now, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to care. I took my seat and for the next 15 minutes Edward and I sat in deathly silence, the only interaction that either of us had was with Josh.

"Joshua Swan?" Dr. Laurent finally called.

I could have sworn I heard Edward mutter Cullen under his breath; I shot him a death glare before plastering a smile on my face as I shook Dr. Laurent's hand. Edward followed suit as the doctor showed us into his room.

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting," Dr. Laurent told us as we took our seats. "Now, let's see," he tapped a few keys on his computer to bring up Josh's file. "So, it's a DNA test that you're after this morning."

"Yes," I nodded.

"I take it that you've both read all of the information that we provide?" Edward and I both nodded our confirmation. I felt like I was back at school and had been summoned to the headmaster's office.

"Well, in that case it's all pretty straight forward. Let's get started!"

Dr. Laurent swivelled around in his chair and opened a cupboard, removing the necessary swabs etc., before putting on his surgical gloves.

"Now, this is the hardest part," he said as he picked up a buccal swab. "I just need to rub this on the inside of Joshua's cheek. It's completely painless. The hard part will be getting him to open his mouth and keep still," Dr. Laurent chuckled.

Thankfully, Josh complied. "Well done, young man," Dr Laurent praised him once it was over. Josh looked bewildered; he must have thought he was about to be fed.

Dr. Laurent carefully placed the sample into what looked like a glass vial and placed a sticker on the front of it with Josh's details.

Next, it was Edward's turn. The doctor quickly ran the swab on the inside of Edward's cheek collecting the cells. "That's it," Dr. Laurent declared as he placed both samples inside a bag and placed a detailed label on the front. "The results should take three to five working days. Now let's see how you want them," he said flicking through the forms that I had filled in. "So, you want them by post to your work address, is that correct?"

"Yes," Edward and I both said together.

"Well, that all seems to be in order," Dr Laurent said after confirming the address for Cullen International.

"Thank you, Doctor," Edward said as he stood and shook hands.

"Goodbye, Mr. Cullen, Miss Swan," said as he showed us the door. "Goodbye, Joshua," he ruffled Josh's hair as we made our way out.

The rain was still coming down in sheets, in fact I think it had even worsened if that was at all possible. Edward ran to fetch the car while Josh and I waited at the entrance. We had spent almost one and a half hours here when you count in travelling and waiting time, all for an appointment that lasted less than 15 minutes. Why Edward couldn't have done one of those D.I.Y internet DNA tests is anyone's guess. He probably didn't trust me with it; he probably figured I would swap his sample for someone else's. It wouldn't surprise me. The way Edward's mind works will always be a mystery to me.

He pulled up as close to the doors as he could get and I quickly ran out into the pouring rain. After strapping Josh in securely, I jumped into the passenger seat, and shivered a little as I put on my seat belt. Edward must have noticed because he switched on the heater as well as putting the CD player back on for Josh. We crawled along in the midday Seattle traffic in total silence; other than the music and the rain lashing against the windows, there wasn't another sound to be heard.

"I'll drop you both off at home. Is it still okay to pick Josh up later for an hour?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, that's fine. You won't have him back too late though, will you?" I said concerned. Not only would it mess up Josh's routine, but also I didn't like the idea of Josh not being at home in weather like this.

Edward shook his head, "No, I'm going to head back to the office once I've dropped you off, but I'll make sure that I finish around 5 o'clock so I'll pick him up around half past."

He pulled up to my apartment building and I was surprised when Edward jumped out of the car and held the umbrella over me as I struggled to unbuckle Josh from his car seat. I grabbed the changing bag as well and was even more shocked to find that Edward walked us into the building holding the umbrella over us the whole time. I gave him a curious look.

"I don't want him getting wet and catching a cold," he said.

Of course it wasn't Edward being chivalrous; he just didn't want his son getting ill. I couldn't blame him, I didn't want that either.

"Thanks," I told him as we reached the doors.

"Not a problem," he murmured before bending down and giving Josh a kiss.

I watched him turn on his heels and walk away. Edward's behavior was strange to say the least. It reminded me of when we first met at Cullen International. One moment he was happy-go-lucky, the next he was childish, and then he was positively ignorant and rude, all before he became warm and loving. It was as if his whole personality was trapped inside a revolving door and had gone full circle. Would I ever be able to figure that man out?

**A/N**

**So, Edward's mask is very slowly starting to crack. I know that some of you will ask about why Bella has not looked for a new job yet. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about that, watch this space ;)**


	27. Chapter 26

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 26**

True to his word, Edward arrived a little after 5:30, while the weather had gotten significantly worse over the course of the afternoon, and a full on storm was now in effect.

"I'm really not happy about you taking him out in this weather," I told him calmly looking towards the window as he entered my apartment.

He didn't look happy either. "What do you expect me to do, Bella, wave my magic wand and make it all go away?" he said sarcastically.

I snapped, "There's no need to take that tone. I'm just concerned over my son's well being, that's all."

"And you don't think that I am?" he raised his voice. "You're not stopping me from seeing my son."

"At what point did I mention you not seeing him?" I put my hands on my hips. He wasn't going to start playing these games with me and expect me to roll over and play dead.

His face softened slightly as he realized that he was getting nowhere.

"Look," he said running his hand through his hair, it was always a telltale sign that he was either nervous or thinking about something. "All I want to do is spend an hour, one on one time with Josh. I can't control the weather, Bella."

"I never said that you could. I'm just worried about you taking him out in this," I said pointing to the force 10 gale that was blowing outside complete with rain lashing at the windows.

I could see Edward looking between the window and Josh who was sat playing happily with his toys on the living room floor. He was obviously trying to decide how to do what was best.

I chose to offer out an olive branch. "Why don't you both just stay here?"

Edward looked at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads. "I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"And why is that?" I asked exasperated. "Am I really so awful that you can't bear to be in the same room as me for one hour?" I raised an eyebrow awaiting his answer. He was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, and I could see him mentally toying with his answer as he shifted from one foot to the other while once again running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I'll make this easy for you," I offered. "You stay here with Josh and do whatever it is that you guys do, and I'll go and read in the bedroom. You won't even know that I'm here, and that way Josh doesn't need to be taken out in that," I said pointing to the window again. "Plus, it will give me a chance to put my feet up and relax rather than finding little jobs that need doing."

He looked shocked at my suggestion, "You really don't need to do that."

"Yes, Edward, I do. It's obvious that you can't stand to be around me, but I'm afraid that there's nothing that I can do about that."

He actually had the nerve to look upset by my words.

"Besides," I continued, "I'm not offering to do this for your sake, I'm doing it for Josh's."

He looked uncomfortable as he contemplated the idea. "You don't need to do that, Bella," he said calmly.

It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but Josh did need some one on one time with Edward, and every time we were in close proximity to one another, it would end in some kind of argument.

"It's okay, Edward, really," I walked over to the coffee table and picked up my worn out copy of The Country Of The Blind. I bent down and gave Josh a kiss. "I'll just be in the bedroom if you need anything, give me a shout. Oh, and he's not had anything to eat yet either," I said as I made my way over to the refrigerator taking out a tub of tomato and vegetable pasta. "Put this in the microwave for a couple of minutes and check that it's not too hot before you give it him," I instructed.

Edward came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You didn't have to do this, but thank you."

I looked up into his face, it hurt so badly to know what we had once had and the fact that I had thrown all of it away. I saw something briefly flicker in Edward's eyes but within a split second, it was gone...probably contempt I thought to myself as I nodded in appreciation of his thanks**. **

"I'll just be in there," I pointed towards the bedroom. "If you need anything, just help yourself."

I turned and walked away before the mask fell off completely. I could feel it crumbling at his close proximity with just that one gentle touch to my shoulder. _God, what does that man do to me?_ I thought as I closed the bedroom door behind me and sat down gently on the edge of the bed.

The tears came not long afterwards and I fought to bat them away. The woman in front of the mask may pretend to be strong, but the person behind it didn't know how long she could keep up this pretense. I still loved Edward as strongly as the day he walked away from me, but knew deep down inside that the feeling would never be reciprocated. There was too much water under the bridge, and the only way that I would ever be able to move forward was to give up and move on. Could I really do that? I wouldn't know unless I tried. Edward would now be a part of my life forever because of Josh, and everyone telling me to keep up the pretense and not to give up on him was only delaying the inevitable.

I scooted back against the pillows and got comfortable, picking up my book, I managed to read a couple of pages before I realized that it was pointless because I wasn't absorbing anything. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I reached down onto the floor and picked up my laptop. After starting it up, I quickly found a few job pages and started looking for P.A. positions in and around the Seattle area. I found a couple that sounded promising, one was for a publishing group that was new to the area. I scanned through the job description and the requirements and was overjoyed to realize that I had everything that they were looking for in the ad. The pay was slightly less than what I was currently making, but not significantly enough to make a dent. All I had to do was to send my resume and a cover letter; plus the application was online, so there was nothing to stop me from doing it right there and then.

I toyed with the idea for a few moments. Other than being around Edward, I was really happy to be at Cullen International and pretty soon Jessica would be returning to the position of Edward's P.A., which meant that I would be going back to my old job with Mike back on the 15th floor. I would see much less of him, if anything at all, other than when he picked up and dropped off Joshua.

I was in a dilemma as to what to do. It wouldn't hurt anything to apply, I probably wouldn't even get an interview anyway. Look how long it had taken me to find my current job. I didn't really have anything to lose, right? I had lost it all already.

I clicked on to my resume and quickly amended my work history to include Cullen International. I put both Mike and Carlisle down as references and attached it to my cover letter. Now all I needed to do was to hit the send button. My finger hovered over it while I still deliberated over what to do. I could hear Josh and Edward's giggles outside, and my heart clenched as I finally hit the send key.

The second position was for P.A. to the director of a pharmaceutical company. This time the pay was significantly better than what I was currently on although the travelling distance was at least an hour away, which would mean not only longer hours away from Josh, but longer hours for Leah too. I didn't really want to be away from Josh any more than what I already was; I was missing out on so much of his life just to keep a roof over our heads.

I toyed with the idea before once again deciding that I didn't have anything to lose by simply applying. If it meant having to move closer, then that's what we would have to do. I could find a place somewhere in between. Again I wrote out a cover letter, attached my resume, and I'd just hit the send button when urgent knocking on my bedroom door had me jumping up in fright.

"Bella, Bella, you need to come out here now," Edward called before I heard his footsteps running back down towards the living area. I threw the laptop off of my knee and onto the bed, and I ran out as quickly as possible terrified as to what had happened.

"What's wrong?" I cried running over to Josh, he looked fine and had a huge grin on his face.

"Nothing's wrong," Edward grinned. His whole face lit up like a little boy at Christmas leaving me confused, "Just watch."

Edward picked Josh up to his feet and held him at the waist facing me. "Go get Momma" he whispered into Josh's ear.

Josh was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he took a step forward towards me. I clicked on as to what was happening and dropped down to my knees with tears in my eyes. Edward still held Josh by the waist steadying him, but I could see that his hold was lessening.

I held open my arms to him as he took another step forward, and another step. Eventually, Edward had let go although he kept his hands close by ready to catch Josh if he fell. Josh took another three very quick, but unsteady, steps before falling into my arms. Tears fell down my face as I hugged him close. "You're my clever little man," I told him as I peppered his face in kisses.

Edward looked like the cat that stole the cream as I realized that it had been him who had witnessed Josh's first steps rather than myself. Still, he'd missed out on so much, Josh's first smile, the first time that he sat up, his first taste of solid food, his first tooth and his first word, I couldn't begrudge him being the one to witness his son's very first steps.

"Let's see if he'll do it again," Edward asked as I turned Josh around to sit in my lap, "This time go get the camera," he instructed. All traces of animosity were temporarily gone as for once we were reunited in a common goal.

I did as he said, not only grabbing the camera but my cell phone as well. Sitting back down onto the floor I copied Edward's actions from before... "Go get Daddy," I told him as I caught the proud reaction to my words in Edward's eye.

Edward picked up the camera and started snapping away as Josh took several very shaky steps towards him, he dropped the camera just in time to catch Josh as he fell into his arms, and this time it was Edward's turn to shower him with kisses.

"Let's see if he'll do it again. I want to capture it on video and then we can send it to my Dad and your Mom," I smiled warmly at him, and for once he returned that smile and my stomach did somersaults at the sight of it.

"Okay, I'll film while you get ready to catch," Edward instructed as he moved a couple of feet further back increasing the distance that Josh needed to walk. "Are you ready?" he asked as he picked up my cell phone and set the video to record.

"As we'll ever be," I grinned steadying Josh once more for his new favorite game. Edward held up the phone, recording the footage as once again I said, "Go get Daddy." Josh giggled as he took a step forward before almost running, well not quite running, but doing that fast little walk that babies tend to do when they take their first steps. I took the phone off of Edward and continued filming as Josh fell in his arms giggling frantically as Edward tickled him and planted kisses all over his face.

I took the cell phone and quickly played back the video, Edward scooted over to sit beside me while we watched it play back together, and to any outsider we would have looked like the typical happy family unit. I held Josh smiling at Edward as Josh walked towards him, then Edward showering Josh in kisses as he caught him. It was a mixture of emotions, both happy because of what we had just witnessed and sad, because we both knew that the happiness in that video was not going to last.

"Can you send it to my cell?" Edward asked with a tight smile as Josh bounced up and down in his lap.

I nodded, "Are you going to send it to your Mom or would you like me to do it?" I fiddled with my phone trying to send it to Edward. I heard his cell chime and I knew that he'd received it.

"I'll do it, I better send it to Dad, Emmett and Jasper too, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it," he chuckled slightly.

"Oh, God, you're right. I better send it to my Dad, Alice, Rose, and Angela, or my life won't be worth living," I sighed. "Oh, and Jake, jeez, he'd be on the first plane over here to kick my ass if he found out about this from someone else," I laughed.

Edward laughed with me as he nodded his head in agreement, "I suppose you're right," he hit the send button. Within a few seconds he was bombarded with messages in return, "My mother," he said holding up the phone for me to see. I read the message on the screen,

_Aww, my beautiful Grandson,_

_I'm so proud of him!_

_This is when the trouble starts,_

_Hope you're ready for it?_

_And WHEN am I going to spend some time with him? _

I couldn't help but laugh at the last line that she wrote, it was typical Esme. More messages followed from Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper. Then it was my turn to send the video to my Dad and friends.

As expected my Dad was the first one to reply.

_He's a bright little boy that one Bells,_

_Must take after his old Grandpa,_

_I best go and buy him a fishing rod, won't be long now before he's ready!_

I groaned at the thought, only my Father could come back with a comment like that after seeing his grandson's first steps. I showed the comment to Edward, "I'm surprised my Dad didn't think of that," he said.

Messages from Rose, Angela and Jake came next, all cooing over how fast he was growing. The final message from Alice came as no surprise when it simply read,

_Sqeeeeeeee!_

I shook my head as her sheer enthusiasm came across in that one simple word that wasn't even a word.

Edward looked at his watch; he'd actually stayed for nearing on for two hours. "I'd better be off," he told me as his rose to his feet. "I have things to do."

"Okay, I'm glad that you were here to see Josh's first steps," I told him sincerely.

"Me too," he looked me in the eye looking uncomfortable as he ran is hand through his hair. "Well, I... err, I guess I'll see you tomorrow ... at work."

I nodded my reply, not quite sure as to what to say to him as he bent down and picked up Josh giving him a big hug and a kiss.

He left five minutes later, giving Josh a little wave as he went. It broke my heart when I closed the door behind him. Would I ever be able to stop loving him? Did I even want to? I owed it to both of us to try and move on. Edward had never loved me, we were only in a relationship for such a very short time and yet we were bound together for life by our son. No matter what had happened between us, I knew inside that Edward would be the only man that I would ever truly love... in the biblical sense at least. I knew right then that leaving Cullen International would be the right thing to do.

I had hurt Edward so badly, even though it was unintentional, the fact of the matter was that I had done it all the same. We both needed a fresh start away from one another, and I would try my hardest to make Edward's life easier by leaving it. I knew that we would still have to be around one another because of Joshua, but maybe if we didn't see one another on a day-to-day basis, we could both pick ourselves up and move on with our lives.


	28. Chapter 27

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 27**

Five days later, I walked into Cullen International with a spring in my step. Edward had spent all day Saturday with Josh giving me some much needed time to get things done. I had applied for three more jobs and was feeling quietly confident about them. I'd maintained my mask in front of Edward, something that I was quietly thankful for, and I had also started to get my appetite back, something that I was very glad about. I still wasn't managing to eat full meals yet, but at least now I could handle eating small amounts without feeling ill.

I walked into the office to find Victoria grinning widely.

"What makes you so happy on a Monday morning?" I asked amused by the look of joy on her face.

She lifted up her left hand wiggling her fingers at me. "Oh My God!" I exclaimed, pulling her into a big hug.

"Steve proposed," she said excitedly. "He took me to the Skycity restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. We were just finishing our desserts when he dropped down onto one knee and asked me to marry him."

I suddenly channelled my inner Alice as I squealed in excitement for her. She had been seeing Steve for two years, and it was obvious for all to see that they were made for each other.

"Oh, Vicky, I'm so happy for you. Have you told Irena?"

"Not yet," she shook her head. "She's not in the office until ten."

"She'll be so excited for you! So, when's the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date yet, but we don't want to leave it too long, sooner rather than later," she said enthusiastically. "But you know what that means, don't you?"

I shook my head not knowing where she was going with this.

"It means I get a bachelorette party," she winked.

I rolled my eyes and laughed, "I hate to think what you're planning."

"Well," she started, "I was thinking about a girls' weekend away, maybe in Vegas!"

I inwardly groaned. Vegas wasn't somewhere I particularly wanted to see again anytime soon.

"Maybe Vegas is a little far away," I offered. "It may be a lot of money for people to find at short notice."

"Mmm, you could be right. Leave it to me, I'll think of something," she winked.

The elevator pinged just before the doors opened and out walked Emmett and Edward laughing and joking together without a care in the world. Edward looked so carefree right at that moment, it was a rare sight lately.

"Emmett, Edward, look," Vicky called as she stood waving her left hand at them. The huge diamond solitaire caught the light as she wiggled her fingers.

"Jeez, look at that rock." Emmett boomed, "What's up, Vicky, did your old man knock you up?" If Rose had have been here, she would have slapped him. It was lucky for Emmett that she wasn't. Vicky just laughed because thankfully she was used to Emmett's playfulness by now. He scooped her into a big bear hug. "Congratulations!" he said as he hugged her an inch within her life.

"Yes, congratulations," Edward said giving her a peck on the cheek as Emmett put her down.

"It'll be you next, Bells," Emmett laughed. Edward's head shot up and glared at him, and for once I felt compelled to do the same.

"Not funny, Emmett," I said narrowing my eyes at him.

"What?" he looked confused, "I wasn't trying to be funny. Rosie and I were driving past your place on Friday night and I asked if we should call, but Rosie said that it was too late, that you probably had a hot date with someone called Roger."

My eyes widened with shock, I was going to kill Rose slowly, with my bare hands.

I heard Edward mumble something about work as he quickly shot off into his office. I was in too much shock to even bring myself to care.

"Ooh, who's Roger?" Vicky asked "You've kept him quiet."

"That's what I want to know," Emmett asked, "Weren't you dating him before Edward? I remember Jake mentioning him when we saw you at the restaurant."

I wanted the world to open up and swallow me right this minute.

"Roger is... Look, just forget about Roger. I don't want to talk about it." I could feel that my face was beet red. "I need a drink," I scurried off to the break room and helped myself to water, while I was inwardly trying to calm down. Rose was so dead!

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" I screamed down the phone to Rose as I closed the door to my office. I could hear her rolling around in laughter at the other end of the phone. "Talk to me, Goddamn it, and explain yourself," I was practically hyperventilating by now.

"Calm down, Bella," she eventually choked out between giggles. "It's all part of Operation Edward."

"What the fuck are you on, Rose, you've just publically humiliated me."

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," she said, still stifling her giggles. "Am I right in saying that Edward never knew about Roger?" she asked.

"Yes," I shouted.

"Yes what? Yes, he didn't know, or yes, he did?" she asked, calming down.

"Yes, he didn't know."

"Well, in that case, it all worked well," she told me smugly.

Now I was confused "What are you going on about?"

"Look," she sighed, "Neither Alice or I want to lie to Jasper and Emmett as you know." I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me. "And by mentioning a little hot date with Roger isn't strictly lying." I blushed, thankful that I was in the confines of my office.

"Now if Emmett wants to jump to conclusions and think that Roger is a man and then mentions that in front of Edward... Bingo! Trigger jealous Edward."

I paced up and down my office not quite believing what I was hearing.

"Rose, are you seriously telling me that I'm now dating my vibrator? Don't do this to me, Rose. I'm on my period and I'm lethal at the moment."

She giggled down the phone.

"Firstly, I can't believe you got Emmett to think that Roger is a man!"

"I didn't get Emmett to believe anything. He jumped to that conclusion himself. I just didn't correct him," she said. I could picture the smile on her face, and I so badly wanted to wipe it off.

"Secondly, Edward couldn't care less if I fell off the face of the earth let alone date someone, and the minute he finds out that the said someone happens to be a vibrator, he'll die laughing. I'll be a laughing stock, Rose... Do you hear me? A laughing stock!" I shouted.

"Calm yourself down," Rose said calmly, "You and Edward are both as bad as the other, but neither of you can see. He just needs a nudge in the right direction, and this is the way to do it. He'll be jealous as hell. He loves you, Bella. He just needs to realize it and now that he thinks he's lost you to someone else, it might just give him the rude awakening that he needs."

"Rose," I whispered with tears in my eyes, "He doesn't love me, he never did." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, "and he didn't lose me to someone else, he left me willingly."

"Bella, Edward is stubborn. He's the kind of person who would bite off his nose to spite his face, but just trust me on this, Alice and I are not stupid. 'Operation Edward' will work. All you need to do is keep the mask in place and let him believe that you're not bothered. It might take some time, but it will all work out in the end!"

"I hope you're right," I sniffed.

"I'm always right," she laughed, "now stop sniffling, pull yourself together, put that mask in place and go do some work!

"Okay," I sighed, "and Rose!"

"Yeah?"

"Ever pull a stunt like that again and I'll string you up by the hair, just so we understand one another!"

Rose laughed loud, "Got that."

"Good thing. Bye, Rose, love you."

"Bye, Bella, love you too."

I sat down at my desk and rubbed my face with my hands, those girls would be the death of me.

I powered up the computer, ready to start my day as I quickly scanned over today's schedule. I saw that Edward had a meeting with Little Miss Goddess at 4 p.m., but other than that, it was just a case of typing up the reports that he was working on and making a few calls on his behalf. Picking up the mail that had been left on my desk, I quickly flicked through it and instantly noticed the letter that both Edward and I had been waiting for, as it stood out a mile. It wasn't because it had the hospital stamp on it, because it didn't. It was in a very discrete, plain, white envelope, the thing that stood out was the fact that it was addressed to both myself and Edward, just like we had requested.

I decided against opening it, wanting to give the honor to Edward instead. After all, I knew what the results would be, there had never been any doubt that Edward was Josh's father, and I had only gone ahead with the test for Edward's sake.

I knocked on his office door, "Come in."

Opening the door my eyes immediately travelled to his unoccupied desk. "Over here," he said abruptly as I turned to find him sitting on the sofa sorting through a pile of paperwork that was placed at the side of him.

"I brought you this," I said waving the white envelope in the air.

A look of confusion briefly crossed his face, quickly followed by understanding. He swallowed nervously as I walked over to him and took a seat on the opposite side of the sofa. I handed him the envelope, and he turned it over in his hands several times while staring at it.

"Why haven't you opened it?" he asked sitting up straight composing himself.

"I had no need to," I told him softly, sitting back a little from the edge of my seat. "I already know what it says."

He gave me a cautious smile as he slid the nail of his right thumb underneath the corner edge of the envelope lifting it slightly before dragging it the whole way across. I could see his hands nervously shaking as he reached in and pulled out the single sheet of paper opening it and straightening it out before reading it.

"Well?" I asked as he lowered his arms and dropped the paper into his lap.

He lifted his head and smiled at me. A full on Edward Cullen, award winning, panty dropping smile "He's mine."

He leaned his head back onto the back of the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, a content grin spread across his face.

"There was never any doubt," I told him, not quite sure where we would go from here.

He lifted his head and turned to me. "We need to talk, get some things sorted out."

"Such as?"

He contemplated for a moment, "Visitation, child support, how he's raised..."

"STOP, right there," I held up my hand to cut him off, I could feel my anger rising. "How he's raised? What the fuck, Edward? Are you seriously trying to tell me that I'm not doing a good job of raising my son?"

"Our son," he retorted,

"Whatever!" I cried rising to my feet.

"Bella," he called calmly. I childishly ignored him turning on my heels, running back to my office, I grabbed my purse and was back in Edward's office within a matter of seconds.

I was furious. Edward remained calm and was still sitting in the same place that I left him when I returned.

"For a start, I have raised OUR son," I spat, "all alone for the last 13 months. I've had little help from anyone. I've fed him, cleaned him, kept a roof over our heads and loved him every step of the way, and here you are, after only what?" I looked at my watch, "All of ten minutes, trying to tell me that I've not done a good job."

Edward rose to his feet and started pacing up and down. I could see he was pissed, but right at this moment I couldn't bring myself to care.

"That's not what I meant," he said angrily. "I've NEVER said that you had done a bad job. I was referring to how we are going to raise him together. We need to be on the same page with this."

I scoffed at his words, "Yeah, whatever." I was past the point of listening to him rationally. All I could see before me was red. No-one, no matter who they are, upsets a mama bear, especially where her cubs are concerned.

"As for child support," l laughed. "I don't want a single penny from you!" I rifled through my purse, not able to find what I was looking for, so I angrily emptied the contents all over the floor. "Arr, here it is," I smiled sinisterly picking up several small pieces of paper.

"I've worked hard, Edward. I've brought up OUR Son single-handedly as well as holding down a full time job. I've made sacrifices that you wouldn't even begin to understand, but you know what?" I asked edging closer towards him. "I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

Edward looked nervous, really nervous. He had seen me hurt, upset, and worried, but he had never seen me angry, not in this way at least.

"As for you," I continued, "taking my word that Josh was your son wasn't good enough for the high and mighty Edward Cullen." I was on a roll now and Lord only knows where it was going to end. "Oh, no, you had to have a DNA test, when it was obvious to everyone around you that he was yours. You just had to put me through that humiliation."

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him. I hadn't finished with him yet.

"I've watched you, Edward. You get a sense of enjoyment over seeing me hurt. You love to take the knife and twist it at every given opportunity. Over the last few weeks you have hurt me, humiliated me, ignored me, sneered at me, and downright insulted me. You broke my heart and I've sat back and put up with it all because I thought it was my fault that you were acting that way. Well, guess what, Edward? I'm past caring.

I once had feelings for you," I laughed. "God only knows why. You're selfish, spoiled, arrogant, egotistical, spiteful, and that's just for starters... But thank God you made me see the light before it was too late. You get a piece of paper telling you exactly what I told you weeks ago, and you think that gives you the right to question me and my parenting... Well, here's news for you, Edward, it doesn't."

There really was no stopping me. All these weeks of pent-up emotions were spilling out and I had no control over it whatsoever.

"Twenty two months ago, we had a one night stand. I got pregnant and accidently found you again a matter of months ago. You have barely known Joshua for two minutes and here you are trying to tell me on how to raise him! Do you know something, Edward? I've had it up to here with you," I raised my hand above my head for emphasis. "As far as I'm concerned, you were nothing but a sperm donor! Here, take this..." I said as I thrust the torn up check that he had given me weeks ago into his chest. "You've earned it!" It was the same words he'd used to cripple me all those weeks ago and now I had thrown them back in his face. I could see the anger rolling off of him, but more than that, I could see grief. I'd really stuck the knife in and there was no going back.

What had I just done? I hadn't meant any of it... well, maybe just a little, but I certainly never wanted to see Edward hurt. I still loved him with every bone in my body. I just saw red and everything just spilled out. There was only one thing that I could do now before Edward had the chance to do it for me. I took a deep breath and composed myself.

"I quit."

**A/N**

**So, Bella finally cracked and told Edward a few home truths. For once it wasn't Edward's attitude that was the problem it was the words he used that triggered Bella's pent up emotions and caused her to finally snap. Also, Edward being nervous over the test results wasn't because he doubted Josh's parentage it was the sheer magnitude of the moment. To finally have it there in black and white was a huge deal to him. **

**I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to you all for sticking with this story, I never dreamt MOI would receive the response that it has. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or sent me a PM. I really do appreciate it.**

**Next update will be Friday.**


	29. Chapter 28

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 28**

"Bella...I,"

I cut him off, "It's too late for words, Edward, I'm sorry." I choked back a sob as I turned to flee the room.

I was shocked to find both Carlisle and Esme standing in the doorway looking aghast. Emmett was behind them with the same mortified look on his face. Just how much had they seen and heard of our now public altercation?

"I'm so sorry," I told them as I wiped away a tear. None of them knew how to react. All I know is that one of them placed a reassuring pat on my shoulder as I walked past, closing the office door behind me.

I walked back to my office and quickly placed all of my photographs and personal possessions into a box and made my way out, quickly hugging Vicky. I promised that I would be in touch very soon. She wasn't aware of exactly what had just happened in Edward's office, but I think she got the idea. After all, I must have been loud enough to get the attention of Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett. Thankfully, she was very tactful and didn't ask any questions. She promised me that she would pass a message on to Irena saying that I would be in touch and with that I walked away from Cullen International.

I needed air and to clear my head, so rather than flagging down a cab I took a walk to the park and sat people watching on my favorite bench. The realization of what I had just said and done hit me like a ton of bricks. How the hell could I have blown a fuse that way? I know that Edward had riled me up by mentioning my raising of Josh and child support, which was a sore subject to start with due to the way that he had humiliated me with the check when he first found out. But thinking back to earlier, he wasn't even being nasty with me... He was so happy that it had been confirmed that he was Josh's father, and all he wanted to do was to discuss where we went from there.

I groaned when I thought back over the things that I had just said and done. Edward hadn't really done anything to deserve all that I had just thrown at him in this instance. Where had it all come from? Oh. My. God. I even called him nothing but a sperm donor... How could I? I was such a bitch!

I didn't mean those words. I needed to man up and apologize, but something told me that it wouldn't be appreciated. Everything had just spiralled out of control, and now here I sat having just hammered the final nail into the coffin of mine and Edward's relationship. To make matters worse, I had no job to go back to either. What the hell had I done?

I sat for what felt like an infinite amount of time, lost in my own thoughts as people milled by, several gave me curious glances and two people actually stopped and asked whether or not I was okay. I merely dismissed their concern with a nod of the head and sent them on their way, leaving me to wipe away my tears and pull myself together. It was only when I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to go home, did I realize that not only had I left my purse complete with cash in Edward's office, but I had also left my cell and apartment keys in there too. Glancing at my watch, I knew that even if I walked home, Leah would be taking Josh to playgroup so she wouldn't be around to let me in.

I weighed my options and decided that the only thing I could do would be to go to see Rose. Her garage wasn't too far away, and I could walk it in around twenty minutes. She'd know what to do!

I picked up my box of possessions and set off preparing myself for a lecture of how I let the mask slip and what a damn idiot I was for quitting my job without having another one lined up. All things that I already knew.

I walked a little faster wrapping my coat around me as the wind picked up and it started to spot with rain. At least I knew that Rose would give me a ride home. I wonder if she'd take me to Alice? At this moment in time I had never been so grateful for the annoying little pixie having an emergency key.

I arrived at 'You Bend em, I Mend em' half frozen. One of the mechanics was busy in the yard and he pointed me towards the workshop when I asked where I could find Rose. True to form she was dressed in blue overalls and was bent head first inside the hood of a 2007 Toyota Camry.

I shuffled my feet loudly not wanting to startle her, "Rose" I called. She looked up and saw me standing there no doubt looking like a lost puppy, either that or a homeless person complete with cardboard box.

"Bella, where the hell have you been? Everyone's worried sick about you."

"Eh!" was my only and intelligent response.

"Emmett phoned ages ago, said that you had blown a gasket at Edward, quit your job, and walked out."

"Well, that part's right," I told her in embarrassment while looking down at my feet.

She stood glaring at me, not that I could see because I couldn't, my eyes were still firmly fixed on looking at my shoes. I could feel her glare, and when I looked up, I was right. She stood tall with her hair wrapped in a bun on the top of her head, left hand on her hip, and a wrench grasped firmly in the right.

"You know people have been out looking for you?"

"Why?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, "You don't get it, do you? People are worried about you, including Edward. You walked out in a state, leaving everything behind...well, almost everything!" she indicated towards the cardboard box. "Come on, let's go into the office. I'll make a coffee and phone Emmett to let him know that you're alive." She shook her head and walked off.

I followed like a good little puppy. I couldn't believe that people had been looking for me. How embarrassing! I knew that I owed several people a strong apology, namely Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and especially Edward, but It never crossed my mind that some of them would have been concerned enough to go look for me.

"She's here. Yes, she's fine. I'm just going to talk to her now." I looked up to find Rose with the phone pressed to her ear as she stirred two steaming hot mugs of coffee. She was obviously talking to Emmett. "About ten minutes ago; no, Emmett, I don't know shit yet. I'll talk to you later. Yes, you can call off the search party," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Okay, I'll speak to you soon. Yes, I know, love you too, bye." She hung up the phone and handed me one of the mugs.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," I told her as I wrapped both hands around the mug trying to get them warm.

Rose flopped down in the chair behind her desk.

"You don't do anything by half's, do you, Swan?" she sniggered to herself underneath her breath. "So, what happened?"

"I honestly have no idea," I said solemnly.

The phone rang and Rose answered it. "You bend 'em I mend 'em, Rose speaking."

"Yes, she's fine." _It's Alice_, Rose mouthed to me. "Okay," she said. "We'll see you in ten," as she hung up the phone. "That was Alice. She's on her way."

I groaned, "How the hell did Alice know about this?"

"When Emmett phoned me, I phoned Alice. She's been out looking for you. Emmett must have let her know that you're here."

_I couldn't believe that I had caused everyone so much trouble. I'm such an idiot._

"Yes, you are," Rose grinned.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yup."

I shook my head letting my lips curl into a small smile as I took a sip from my still steaming mug. True to her word, just ten minutes later, Alice arrived looking extremely pissed off.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked as she burst through the office door and stood menacingly with her hands on her hips. Rose sniggered, I looked suitably chastised.

"I was at the park, Alice. Don't bother about making me feel bad, I feel awful enough as it is!"

Her demeanour suddenly relaxed, and without warning she threw her arms around me. "I'm so glad you're safe," she sniffed.

"Me too," I said hugging her back. She let go and pulled up a chair to sit next to me, while Rose made her a coffee. "How is everyone?" I asked tentatively.

"Well, Emmett was going out of his mind," she laughed. Rose glared at her which Alice chose to ignore.

"What happened, Bella? After Rose phoned to tell me, I phoned Emmett. He said he was going out looking for you. He'd phoned Leah, and she said that you weren't at home. He knew that you'd left your cash and keys in Edward's office, so you couldn't get a cab. I met up with him at the office and we went looking together."

"I've no idea what happened," I told them both as Rose sat back down after handing Alice her mug. "Edward was so happy. We'd just gotten the DNA result confirming him as Josh's father. He wanted us to talk things through, but then he mentioned child support and something about how we were going to raise Josh, and I just saw red. I felt as though he was attacking me for how I'd brought up Josh, and then when I thought about how he made me feel when he threw that check at me and insulted me, all the pent up emotions of the last few weeks just came spiralling out. I gave it to him all barrels blazing."

Rose sniggered, "I never thought you had it in you."

"You're not helping, Rose," Alice chastised her.

"I said some awful things to Edward, things that I didn't mean. I just flipped and right at that moment, I wanted him to hurt the same way I was hurting."

"What did you say?" asked Rose taking a sip of her coffee.

"I told him he was nothing more than a sperm donor."

Rose spat coffee across her desk as she choked. The corner of Alice's mouth curved upwards as she tried to hold back a laugh.

"It's not funny, Alice, it was cruel and untrue. You know how I feel about Edward!"

"I know, I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "But for what it's worth, Edward's certainly suffering now."

I raised my brow at her worryingly, "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say that Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle knew that you and Edward weren't getting along too well, but they didn't know the extent of what Edward had put you through... but they do now." She scoffed, "They heard every word that you said to him."

"Oh no," I dropped my head into my hands as I rested my elbows onto my knees, fighting back the tears. "They must really hate me."

"On the contrary," Alice said, "I always thought that Carlisle was quiet and chilled out, but by the time I got there, he was ripping Edward a new asshole. He told him how he was ashamed that a son of his could have treated the mother of his child so badly that she'd bottled everything up to the point of exploding."

"He didn't!" I gasped, "Poor Edward."

"Poor Edward nothing," Rose piped up. "Don't you see, Bella? That was exactly what Edward needed. He's been so concerned over his own feelings that never once did he stop to think about what he was putting you through. Don't get me wrong," she continued, "I still think that you and Edward are made for one another, and I genuinely believe that he loves you, but this had been a long time coming. Hopefully, it will be the wake up call that he needs."

Alice sat nodding her head in agreement, "Rose is right, it is what he needed. That and the right hook he received to his jaw."

"Oh, God, no," I cried. "Please don't tell me that Emmett punched him, he didn't deserve that."

"Way to go, my man," Rose laughed heartily as my eyes filled with tears.

"Don't start fist punching the air just yet," Alice told her smugly. "It happened before I arrived, but from what I can gather it wasn't Emmett that punched him, it was Esme."

Rose and I both gasped in astonishment; surely she got that part wrong. Esme wasn't a violent person.

"Esme wouldn't do something like that! It's completely out of her character." I whispered quietly in shock.

"Well, I'll be damned!" I heard Rose say as tears slid down my cheek. _What had I done?_ I had torn a whole family apart causing Edward's own mother to lash out at him. I needed to put things straight, but I wouldn't even know where to begin.

"Why did she do that?" I asked deep in shock.

"She heard almost every word apparently. She never realized just how much Edward had put you through, how hurt and upset you were. I think she must have thought that Edward just needed time to get his head together. She didn't know everything that he'd said and done to you. She was appalled by his actions and saw red I guess," Alice shrugged, "Apparently Edward admitted that everything you threw at him was the truth, but all of that happened before I got there, so I didn't see it for myself. That's why Esme hit him and Carlisle kicked off.

"What do I do? I need to fix this, it's all wrong."

"You need to stop crying for starters, and man up a little," Rose scolded.

"She's right," Alice backed her up. "It's time to wear those big girl panties. I'm sick of all the tears now, it's wearing thin. Your eyes shed more water than the White House lawn sprinkler system."

I glared at her, "What the fuck, Alice! You have no idea what I've been going through these last few months."

"I'm not saying I have, all I know is that you need to make that mask real and man up!" she stated taking her nail file from her bag and sharpening her claws.

"Bitch."

"Never said I wasn't," she replied never looking up once from what she was doing.

"This is getting us nowhere," Rose announced drinking down her last mouthful of coffee. She stood and walked over to the sink rinsing out her mug. "You need to talk to him, Bella," she called over her shoulder.

"I already did and look what happened!"

"No, I mean calmly, this crap can't continue. It's like a game of cat and mouse. He ignores you, you cry, he say's something hurtful, you cry, you say something back, he runs away. Between the two of you, you're giving everyone whiplash. It needs to stop!"

"Christ, what is this? I come here for a friendly shoulder to..." I was going to say cry on, but I stopped myself, "...lean on, and all I get is abuse!"

"What sort of friends would we be if all we told you was the fluffy stuff that you want to hear?" Alice said as she inspected her newly sharpened talons.

"She's right," Rose said as she sat back down in her chair and placed her feet on the desk. "You and Edward both need to grow up. You're both too busy playing one another off against each other that sooner or later, the damage will be irreparable, and then where will that leave Josh? He'll grow up feeling like piggy in the middle with two parents at war with one another. Is that what you want?"

I sighed and shook my head, I knew that she was right and the last thing that I wanted was for all of mine and Edward's warring to start affecting Josh. "So what do I do?"

"Well," Alice started, "to begin with you and Edward need to both sit down and discuss things calmly. No childish behavior, no arguing, just plain old fashioned talking. You both need to lay your cards on the table and see what hand you're dealt with at the end."

I snorted, "Yeah, right, I can see that happening."

Rose lowered her feet from the desk and slammed her palms down hard. "For God's sake, Bella, stop behaving like a spoiled brat," she shouted making me jump. Rose didn't take any prisoners and when she was riled, anyone who knew her knew not to mess with her and anyone who didn't know her soon learned!

Putting my head down feeling suitably chastised, I chanced a glance over at Alice and could see the smirk on her face. "Sorry," I muttered quietly to both of them.

"Apology accepted," Alice answered flippantly. "Now, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted? Oh yes...As I was saying, you both need to sit down LIKE ADULTS," she emphasized "and work this thing out because it's not doing either of you any favors. You're miserable, Edward's miserable, and before you know it, you'll be making Joshua miserable too!"

"I know, you're right, but I just cannot see Edward and myself spending time in the same room alone without World War III breaking out. There's too much water under the bridge.

"For God's sake, Bella!" Rose cried exasperated. "You're head over heels in love with the guy. FIGHT FOR HIM!"

"There's nothing left to fight for," I said sadly "He's seeing someone else. He never loved me, and now he hates me. I can't compete and I can't change the way he feels. The only thing I can do is try and make an effort for Josh's sake."

"Geez, get over your one man pity party! Edward is not seeing Chris Cooper," Rose said flinging herself back in her chair.

My head shot up hearing those words. "What makes you say that?"

Rose ran her hands over her face and glanced at Alice who gave her a small nod.

"What are you guys not telling me? You obviously know something."

"It's nothing important; if it were, we'd have told you ages ago," Alice said.

"Look, there was something between them about two years ago," Rose started. "Apparently there wasn't any sort of relationship, they just hooked up a few times for sex. Chris wanted more, Edward said no. it's no big deal."

My heart ached at the thought of Edward with Little Miss Goddess; I knew I could never compete.

"That, right there," Alice said pointing to the pained look on my face "is the sole reason why we didn't tell you. Plus it's all in the past. Jasper promised me that absolutely nothing has happened between them since and I believe him; he has no reason to lie."

"I thought you didn't talk to Jasper and Emmett about what's happening between me and Edward?" I asked them both curiously.

"We don't!" they both said in unison.

"Look, Bella, occasionally things come up in conversation; we can't not talk about you," Alice said defensively. "You're my best friend and Edward is Jasper's brother. Of course you both crop up from time to time, but I assure you that any private conversations we have is strictly between us. Chris Cooper came up in conversation one night when Jasper was talking about work. I just happened to say that I'd heard you mention her name once, and that's when Jasper told me about what had happened between her and Edward in the past. It's no big deal."

"But nothing's happened since?" I asked needing reassurance.

"Not as far as I know, and like I said, Jasper has no reason to lie.

"Emmett says the same thing," Rose chimed in. "When Alice told me about Edward and the Goddess having a history, I did a bit of gentle digging. It seems that it's all in the past, so there really wasn't any need to tell you!"

I let that information sink in. "He still doesn't have feelings for me, so nothing changes."

"Geez, Bella, get your head out of your ass and wake up," Alice chided. "It's obvious to everyone except you and Edward that he has strong feelings for you. I would honestly say that he loves you; he just can't see it for himself."

"Yup," Rose agreed. "He treats you bad because in his eyes, you lied and hurt him. If he didn't have feelings for you, he couldn't have cared less!"

"Do you really think that?" I asked running my finger around the edge of my now cold coffee mug.

Both girls nodded.

"If we're going to get those two in the same room and be civilized to one another and talk, we need to pull out the big guns," Rose said to Alice as though I wasn't even in the same room.

"Yes, you're right, you know what that means don't you?" Alice replied

Rose nodded her head in agreement, "Esme!" they both said together.

"Err, Hello...I'm still in the room!" I said as they both continued talking over my head. I vaguely heard something about needing Esme's help, I switched off at that point. Besides, other than having Edward to worry about, I also had the realization that I was now jobless and needed to find work FAST!

**A/N**

**Are Rose and Alice being hypocritical? After all it was them that came up with "operation Edward," and encouraged Bella to continue wearing the mask. Personally I don't think they are. Bella bottles things up and keeps things to herself. Unless she confides in someone over how she's really feeling how are they supposed to know? Yes she's told them bits of what's happened but she's never told anyone the effect it was all having on her. Now they know just how bad things have really been they can be there for her and sometimes being a friend means having to tell someone things that they really don't want to hear.**

**Anyway, is everyone excited for Breaking Dawn part 2? I have my tickets booked for after I finish work later. I guess a lot of you will have already seen it at the premiers or marathons. Let me know what you all think of it…Please don't mention any spoilers though.**


	30. Chapter 29

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 29**

Alice dropped me off at home less than an hour later letting me into my apartment with her key. She gave me a quick hug goodbye before dashing off to buy supplies, whatever that meant!

I knew that Leah was still at playgroup with Josh, so it was quiet as I walked into the apartment and closed the door behind me. I made my way over to the dining table, placed my lonesome cardboard box down, and casually picked up the photograph that was precariously perched on top. It was a picture of Josh taken when he was around 7 months old sitting on Charlie's knee with a huge beaming smile on his face. A smile that was infectious as it never failed to bring the same look to my face. Placing the picture back in the box, I made my way into the bedroom, kicking off my shoes as I entered. I retrieved my laptop off the floor picking up my discarded pj's as I did so. I really needed to be less of a slob I thought as I made my way back into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water and made a quick sandwich while waiting for the laptop to power up. It was old and slow, and I was pretty sure that it was something that I would need to replace sooner rather than later.

By the time the laptop was booted up, I'd eaten half of my sandwich which was quite an accomplishment considering my eating habits over the last couple of weeks. Quickly I scanned through my emails hoping for at least one reply from my previous job applications. I sighed when there was nothing, but I wasn't about to give up. I needed to find a job quickly, so that I at least could keep a roof over our heads.

I entered a job site and noticed there were three waitressing positions available within walking distance and realized that alone would save me money on cabs. Beggars can't be choosers I mentally told myself as I applied for all three online. It wasn't something that I particularly wanted to do for work, but it would at least tide me over until I could find myself another office job.

I had just hit the send button after attaching my resume to the last one, when there was a knock at the door. I knew it couldn't be Leah home early with Josh because she had her own key, and the only time that she would need to knock was when she arrived first thing in the morning.

I tentatively unlocked the door and pulled it open, surprised to see both Esme and Carlisle with sorrowful looks upon their faces. Seeing Esme standing there wasn't so much of a shock, but Carlisle was a whole different kettle of fish. He'd never had reason to be here before, and I was curiously concerned as to why he was here now.

"Can we come in?" Esme asked bringing me out of my musings.

I shook my head to clear it. "Of course, I'm sorry, where are my manners," I stepped to one side to let them walk through.

"Please, have a seat," I pointed towards the dining table from where I was working.

Carlisle pulled out a chair politely for Esme before taking a seat himself. They both looked nervous, and you could feel the tension lingering in the air. I noticed Carlisle take a quick peek at my open laptop, but he hastily looked away pretending that he hadn't. Not wanting him to feel bad about me looking for a job, I walked over and closed it softly, pushing it to the side.

"Is there anything I can get you?" I asked nervously. "Coffee, water?"

"Water would be good, thank you," Esme said wringing her hands together. Carlisle nodded for the same and gave me a warm smile as I handed them both a bottle and a glass each.

I nervously took a seat and the three of us sat for a few moments not quite knowing what to say. There was no time like the present, so I took the bull by the horns. "I'm so sorry for my actions earlier. I don't know what came over me."

"I do," Esme smiled sympathetically. "You snapped. I think anyone who had to put up with being treated so appallingly would eventually do the same."

I looked down at the table, but could see Carlisle nodding in agreement out of my peripheral vision.

"Edward treated you so badly. Why didn't you tell us?" Esme continued.

"Please don't blame Edward. Today was my fault. If I had just told him the truth as soon as I found out, probably none of this would have happened. He was only protecting himself."

"He was," Carlisle agreed, "but there's no excuse for his behavior towards you. We knew you two had your disagreements, but we had no idea that he was making you feel that way. You should have spoken up."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, and I mean this with the best intentions in the world," I told them, "but this concerns Edward and myself. We're both grown adults, trying to work through a difficult time. Edward was only handling things the only way he knew how. I'm just as much to blame, and as for my actions earlier, they were completely uncalled for. Edward actually wanted us to discuss where we went from here regarding Josh, and all these weeks of pent-up emotions just came spilling out. I'm so, so sorry that you had to hear all of that, and I can't apologize enough for it happening while in the office. It was completely unprofessional of me."

I took a deep breath, I wasn't really sure of what else I could say. Not to Carlisle and Esme anyway, although there was plenty that I needed to say to Edward.

"How is he?" I asked tentatively.

"He's not good."

My head shot up at hearing Esme say those words.

"I don't think he realized just what an effect his actions had on you. He has a lot of thinking to do, as well as a few apologies of his own!"

"Is it true that you hit him?"

Carlisle chuckled slightly, and Esme threw him a death glare shutting him up instantly.

"It's not one of my proudest moments, but yes, it's true," she said lowering her head in shame. "I've never lashed out in anger, Bella, but when I heard you tell him exactly how he'd made you feel, all of the humiliation that he'd put you through; I just couldn't hold back. We never brought up any of our sons to treat people that way, especially not the mother of his son...and yes, Edward has been a womanizer in the past, something else that we didn't particularly like, but at least the women that he was with were willing participants. The only thing that you did wrong was not to tell Edward immediately about Joshua. It was wrong, I can't deny it, but you didn't deserve what he's put you through since."

"We need to sit down and talk."

"Yes, you do," Carlisle agreed. "I think he's in shock right now, and I don't think it had anything to do with the tongue lashing that his mother and I gave him. I think it's really hit home to him the damage that he's caused towards you." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Edward really cares for you, Bella, far more than he even knows himself. He wanted to come here himself and talk things through but we told him it was best to give you some space for a while."

I nodded in understanding.

"So, how are we going to work this?" Esme asked. "Rose phoned me just before we got here and said she and Alice needed my help with a few things. She gave me a few ideas that I think we can work with!"

"Oh, God," I groaned. "Do those two ever stop meddling?"

Carlisle laughed, "They certainly are a handful. I just thank God that we had three boys and not girls. I would either be grey or six foot under by now."

Esme and I chuckled along with him. It lifted the tension from the air, and visibly, we all relaxed.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Esme continued "I have an idea to get you and Edward together in the same room to talk things through. I need you to bring Joshua to our home on Saturday. Do you think you could do that?"

I nodded my head, but was still confused as to where she was going with this.

"We're going to have a small family meal, to welcome him to the family. That way Edward will be there!"

"Are you sure about this, Esme?" Carlisle asked, obviously not 100% convinced on the idea. I wanted to say I agreed with him, but wisely kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to be the second person in one day to receive Esme's right hook.

"Of course I'm sure," she carried on. "It will only be a small get together, very quiet, no fanfare. Just Carlisle, myself, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Edward, you and Josh…See, no big drama. It will give you a chance to sit down on neutral territory and discuss things calmly." She sat back in her chair feeling quite happy with herself.

I had to admit that the more I thought about it, the more I felt it was a good idea. Edward and I really did need to sort things out calmly and rationally, and it was the ideal location. We could go away and have some privacy, plus, there would be enough people there that hopefully neither of us would make a scene. On top of all that, Josh would get a welcome to the family party because if I knew Esme, nothing was ever done without fanfare.

"Okay, count me in," I said still a little reluctant, but warming to the idea with each passing second.

"That's wonderful," Esme clapped her hands which made me wonder if she'd been spending a little too much time with Alice. "Shall we say our house at 1 p.m. Saturday?"

I nodded my head in confirmation and glanced at Carlisle who was shaking his in exasperation.

"Oh, before I forget, I brought your purse. Edward gathered everything up and placed it all back inside. I'm sure everything's there," Esme told me.

"Thank you," I smiled at her as she reached down beside her chair and passed it over.

"There's just one more thing that we need to discuss," Carlisle spoke up. "Your resignation!"

"Carlisle, I..." I started to say, but he held up his hand silencing me.

"It was a rash, spur of the moment decision, and I refuse to accept it."

"But..."

"Please, Bella, let me finish," he said now in a business tone of voice. "It wasn't put in writing, and I don't for one moment believe that if it wasn't for Edward, it would have been something you would have considered. So I think it best all around that we forget about it. I would very much like you to be a part of this company. You're a hard worker, and you take your work seriously. However, I don't think that going back into the role of Edward's P.A. would be the best of ideas. I think it would be better for both of you if you returned to your old job, back with Mike in Marketing; at least for the time being anyway. Jessica is due to return soon, and I'm sure that we can muddle through for the next couple of weeks."

"Carlisle, I don't know what to say!"

"Just say yes," he smiled warmly at me.

Esme gave me an encouraging smile and a nod.

"That is more than generous of you, Carlisle. Yes! Thank you." I don't know what came over me, but I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. "I can't thank you enough," I said releasing him.

"Oh, nonsense," he chuckled. "Between you and me," he leaned forward across the table and whispered, why I don't know because there were only the three of us in the room. "Emmett has told me, and this is in strictest confidence... so it's not to be repeated." I nodded my head eagerly not quite knowing where this was going, but intrigued all the same. Carlisle continued, "Once Victoria is married, she'll be leaving to live with her husband in the UK. Apparently, he has a lot of work out there, so they are looking to move."

I was quite shocked at the news. Vicky had certainly kept that quiet, but I didn't have time to ponder on it before Carlisle finished what he was saying.

"So I was thinking along the lines of you returning to your old job for the time being. You have already proven your worth as Edward's P.A., and when Victoria leaves, maybe you would consider the permanent position of Emmett's P.A.?"

I didn't know what to say. I sat with my mouth agape not able to form any words. Both Esme and Carlisle laughed at my reaction.

It had been one hell of a day; starting off with the DNA results, my verbal attack of Edward, quitting my job, getting my job back, as well as the offer of a promotion to top it all off. I was mentally exhausted, and couldn't help but wonder what else the day had in store for me. After all, it was only 3 p.m.!

"Earth to Bella," Esme laughed as she waved her hand in front of my face trying to gain my attention.

I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Carlisle, I don't know what to say," I managed to choke out.

"As I said before, Bella, just say yes," he grinned.

"YES!" I almost shouted. "You don't know what this means to me, Carlisle. I really don't know how to say thank you."

"You don't need to say thank you," he told me genuinely. "Just make sure you don't say a word to anyone, and that includes Victoria. She told that bit of information to Emmett in confidence, and you know that Emmett can't hold his own water. She'd kill him if she knew he'd spilled."

I laughed at the mental image that sprung to mind of Vicky clubbing Emmett over the head.

"I promise, Carlisle, I won't say a word."

"Good, you know that this promotion won't happen for a few months yet, so don't get too excited. You still have to deal with working for Mike Newton again in the meantime." Carlisle grinned and Esme smirked.

"Mike's not nearly as bad as everyone makes him out to be. I quite enjoyed working for him," I told Carlisle. Esme almost choked on the water she was sipping, but didn't say a word.

"Well, now that's that settled, I don't think there's anything more to discuss. Except that I don't want to see you back in the office again for the rest of this week. Take some time off to spend with that grandson of mine. I'm sure with working full time you're missing out on a lot of bonding time. Plus with everything that's happened, you and Edward need to spend some time apart."

I wasn't about to argue with him, I was genuinely both physically and mentally exhausted.

"Thank you, I really appreciate everything that you've done for me," I told them both truthfully.

"Nonsense," Esme said. "It's not just Joshua who's a part of this family now. You are too, Bella, and we look out for family." She rubbed my shoulder reassuringly.

"One more thing before I forget," she said. "I know that Edward has been seeing Josh for an hour or so midweek."

"Yes, usually on a Wednesday."

"Well, I don't mean to interfere, but I really think that this week it might be best if I pick Josh up and take him to Edward. I'll also bring him back again. You and Edward really shouldn't see one another before you're both ready to sit down and sort things through on Saturday. In my opinion, it would be too soon, and it could end up in another argument!"

"I think Esme's right," Carlisle said deep in thought. "You need to be away from each other, get your thoughts together, and have time to decide how you want things to pan out."

"That's fine. I actually agree with you and think that would be for the best," I told them both. "I also think that as Grandparents, you should get to see Josh more than what you already do... That's if you want to?" I said uncertainly. I saw Esme's eyes brighten up at the mention of seeing her grandson more often and Carlisle was grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, Bella, there's nothing we'd like more," Esme said as she wiped away a lone tear.

"It's just so hard to find the time," I told them truthfully. "I struggle to spend time with Josh myself now that I work. By the time I get home, we eat and then it's Josh's bed time. Edward has him either all day Saturday or Sunday, so the only time that we really get to spend together is one day on the weekend."

"Well, how about this?" Carlisle said, obviously in deep thought. "Edward finishes work early on Wednesdays, so that he can spend time with Josh. What about if his babysitter- what's her name again?"

"Leah," I told him.

"So what if Leah brings Josh into the office at say 3 p.m. every Wednesday? I could make sure that Irena keeps my schedule clear at that time each week. Esme can do the same, and it gives us a couple of hours with him before Edward picks him up from my office. That way Edward doesn't have to waste time travelling over here to your apartment to pick Josh up, and he'll get to spend that little bit of extra time with him as well.

"That's a fantastic idea," I told them enthusiastically.

"Also," Esme said. "How would you feel about Josh spending one night a week with us? Obviously it would be after he gets to know us properly. Once he does, I was thinking that maybe he could stay over, say... every Friday night? It would give you a much needed break to have some 'You' time; to go to the cinema or spend some time with the girls. You're still very young, Bella, what are you, 23?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"You're still only a young girl. I've known you for what, 5 months now, and correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I'm aware you've only had one night out in all that time."

I couldn't argue with that. I knew that Esme had a point, but I hated being away from my little man as it was; and now she was suggesting that I spend even less time with him.

As if he could read my mind, Carlisle spoke up. "It's the spending less time with him that's troubling you, isn't it?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "You saw the video that Edward sent you of Josh taking his first steps. If it wasn't for the fact that the weather was so bad that day, forcing Edward to stay here with him, I would have missed it completely. I'm just scared that I'm going to miss out on so much more. He's growing so quickly, and at the moment he spends more time with his babysitter than he does with me," I told them sadly.

"Well, there's not a great deal that I can do right now because my hands are tied, and it would be unethical," Carlisle said. "But how does this sound to you? We start the Wednesday plan straight away, and that gives Josh a chance to get to know us properly."

I nodded letting him know that I was following him so far, but not quite sure where he was going with this.

"That's all we do for the time being," Carlisle continued. "But once Victoria leaves and you take her job, you will receive a new working contract. Now although Emmett's hours are just as long as Edward's, the role of his P.A. is not quite as demanding. It basically involves in-putting all the figures into the computer, taking calls, and arranging the meetings that he needs to attend."

"Yes, I understand that," I told him, still unsure as to where this was leading.

"So how about when we write up your new contract, we keep you at the same pay rate that you're currently earning, but we put you in for a four-day week?" I sat once again with my mouth agape, and Esme sat looking proudly smug at her husband's idea.

"That way you can work Tuesday as normal; work Wednesday, and Edward can pick him up from my office. Then you can work Thursday as normal; work Friday, and Esme or I can pick him up for the night. Edward can collect him from us on Saturday and spend the day, possibly the night with him; giving you lots of free time to yourself. It also means that you get to spend all day Sunday and all day Monday with Joshua.

I genuinely didn't know what to say. I was tongue-tied as I picked up my water and took a large gulp trying to wet my dry mouth.

"You would really do all of this for me?" I asked, not quite believing it.

"Not just for you, Bella. It benefits all of us, if you agree."

I could feel my eyes welling up at Carlisle's generosity, but I wasn't about to shed any tears. I desperately wanted to put the days of 'cryella' behind me.

"I don't know how I can thank you enough," I smiled lovingly at them. "I love the idea so much."

It was true that I needed time to discover who I was again. From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, I went into 'mommy mode'. I had basically spent almost the last two years being a mom, something that I didn't begrudge or regret, but during that time, I had forgotten who I was. I didn't go out, I didn't socialize with anyone other than Rose, Alice, and occasionally Angela; and right now Carlisle and Esme were throwing me a lifeline. Not only for me to discover my own life again, but for me to be able to spend more time with Josh than what I was currently able to do.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this all means to me," I said standing up and stretching my arms around them both. They hugged me back tightly.

"Don't be silly. That's what family is for and just so that you know, if ever you or Joshua ever need anything, you can always come to us." Esme said hugging me just that little bit tighter.

They left around thirty minutes later, with all of us feeling much better than when they first arrived. I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, not only because of what they had said about Edward and I talking about things, but about Carlisle being generous enough to give me my job back, along with the promise of an eventual promotion. Not only had Carlisle's proposal of better working hours with the same pay stunned me, but to top it all off, he reminded me that I wasn't expected back into the office until the following Monday. By then, everything would be arranged for me to go back to working for Mike in Marketing.

What had started out as one of the worst days of my life had quickly turned itself around into being one of the best. The only thing that needed to be sorted out now was my relationship with Edward, be it just as friends or as something more. I was determined that come Saturday, I would be on my best behavior regardless of was happens!

**A/N**

**So, Bella's going back to work for Mike. She should have done that a long time ago!**

**Just how good is Breaking Dawn part 2? WOW, is all I can say. I think Bill Condon did an amazing job and wrapped it all up nicely. I'm itching now for the DVD.**


	31. Chapter 30

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 30**

The following days were heavenly. I spent some much needed one-on-one time with Josh. He was gaining so much confidence in himself now that he could totter around. He could manage several steps on his own before his legs would wobble and he fell down onto his bum giggling away. It was his new favorite game.

Esme kept her word on Wednesday by picking Josh up and dropping him off at the agreed times. She told me that Edward was doing well, but didn't really say much more about him other than that.

The girls came over for a meal and this time I managed to eat practically all of what was on my plate. No mean feat, but it was progress. Alice had brought over several outfits for me to try on for the meal at Esme's on Saturday. All of them, Angela included, gave me a roasting when I tried them on and not one of them fit properly. No-one had realized just how much weight I had lost due to the stress and upset that I had been under. Rose even threatened to call Edward herself and rip him a new asshole, but between Alice, Angela, and I, we managed to talk her out of it. Although I think at one point Alice was about to do the same, as she packed away all the outfits and had to trudge half was across town to bring me a smaller size.

Saturday was fast approaching, and I have to say that Carlisle was right; spending some time with Josh and away from Edward had done me the world of good. That's not to say that I hadn't missed Edward, because I had, he was in my thoughts almost constantly and even my dreams as well. I had found that the more time I spent away from him, the more vivid and sexually excited my dreams had become. On a few occasions I had woken so sexually charged that I'd had to take matters into my own hands. This week alone, Roger was working overtime.

Friday came and Leah looked after Josh while I found myself being dragged along to a day spa to help me relax, this was courtesy of Alice and Rose, who had both taken the day off work to join me. It wasn't something I'd ever done before and was nervous as I was instructed to strip and slip into a white cotton robe which was handed to me by one of the members of the staff. Eventually I relaxed and even started to enjoy myself as all three of us laid back and took full advantage of manicures, pedicures, full body massages and even a full-on wax session. I cursed Alice who had instructed that not only should I have my eyebrows and legs waxed, but my entire nether region too! I have to say that all the pain and suffering was worth it, and I felt like a million dollars by the time we left. I'd even had my hair cut, something that I wasn't too happy about, but had to admit the new layers that were added really made the world of difference and gave it much more volume.

By the time Saturday arrived, I was a bag of nerves. I had missed Edward so much, and while the girls were set on achieving operation 'Get Edward and Bella Back Together,' my main concern at this point was for us just to be able to sit down and actually talk without either of us blowing a fuse. We needed to get along and communicate for Josh's sake if nothing else, and fingers-crossed that Edward wanted that too. Hopefully, being away from me will have also given him time to revaluate the whole situation.

I threw my legs out of bed and rubbed my face with the palms of my hands. I felt physically sick at the thought of what was in store for us today. Quietly I made my way to Josh's room and opened the door; as I peeked my head inside, I could see that he was still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful, lying with his eyes closed and his mouth twitching away, the same way that Edward's does when he's asleep. I smiled to myself at the similarity between the two of them.

Stripping off my nightclothes, I stepped under the stream of hot water and let the heat course through my tired muscles. My stomach was in knots and I needed to relax, and a nice hot shower was certainly helping. After spending more time showering than I originally intended, I stepped out and wrapped a white fluffy bath towel around my body and glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked so much healthier than I had over the previous few weeks. My skin was no longer gray and the dark circles that had been living under my eyes had all but disappeared. The only thing I needed to do now was to gain back the weight that I'd lost. I removed the towel and turned to the side, looking at my reflection. I had gone from being thin with a few nice curves to being skinny, and it didn't suit me one bit. Although I have to say my butt looked good, but that was all. Hopefully, now that I had my appetite back, it wouldn't take me too long to gain the weight again.

I wrapped my robe around myself and pulled a brush through my wet hair before heading to the kitchen to start breakfast. I made oats and drizzled a little honey over the top before going to wake up Josh. I had just finished feeding him and getting him dressed when I heard Alice's key in the door. I inwardly groaned at the thought of her playing Bella Barbie with me all morning; it was the last thing that I needed.

"Hey there, little man!" she called to Josh who grinned and took several steps towards her before falling over. She scooped him up and hugged him close before even acknowledging me. "Morning, Bella," she eventually said cheerfully.

"Morning," I grumbled in return. "Where's your sidekick?"

"Rose stayed with Emmett last night, and she's going to meet us at Esme's. So it will be just the two of us this morning," she said grinning widely.

"Whoopee doo," I sarcastically pulling my tongue out at her childishly.

"Right, first things first," Alice rubbed her hands together after putting Josh down. "I'm starving! I need coffee and food."

"We've already eaten, but I can make you some toast and eggs," I told her deciding to play ball.

"That'll do," she replied as she picked up her bag of tricks and headed for my bedroom. "I'll just lay these things out for later. We're going to need them," she called as she walked through the door.

Twenty minutes later she pushed her plate to one side and rubbed her belly. "I'm so full. That was exactly what I needed. Now I can concentrate," she declared as I picked up my mug and drank the last of my coffee.

"So, what Bella Barbie plans do you have for me today?" I asked cautiously.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Don't be like that, Bella. We're going to have fun, and by the time I've finished with you, you'll look so good that Edward won't know what's hit him."

"Alice, this party is about me and Edward being able to be in the same room together without arguing. It's not about us getting back together as a couple," I told her exasperated.

"I know that," she said with a dismissal of her hand. "But making him realize what he's lost and what he could have back won't hurt matters, will it?"

I sighed. There was no point in arguing with her because Alice always made sure that she had the last say.

By the time midday came around, Alice had me tweaked to perfection. _Well, in her eyes anyway_!

She had me trussed up in a skin tight pair of VB skinny jeans that left little to the imagination. You could see with them that I had lost weight, but I didn't look like the skinny waif that we both knew lay beneath. Instead they extenuated the length of my legs making them look a million miles long, and they lifted my butt so that it looked round and peachy. The fact that she placed me in four-inch suede bootie shoes added to my new found leg length, and I finally understood what the girls meant by casual but sexy!

The silk camel-colored wrap top that I wore had a deep V-back and leather shoulder straps. Alice argued that I should go without a bra, and for once I won an argument with her when I refused and instead compromised to wear a nude colored strapless one instead.

She fluffed up my hair but left the length to flow casually down my back with loose curls at the bottom, and she applied just a touch of mascara and eyeliner to emphasize my eyes. I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself.

Alice drove us all the way to Esme and Carlisle's house. Josh sat in the back playing with one of his musical toys which was annoying the hell out of both Alice and me, but at least it was keeping him occupied. My nerves were shot to pieces as we turned into their driveway, and I immediately noticed Edward's car parked alongside Emmett's.

"Don't be nervous, Bella," Alice instructed as I opened the door and stepped out.

"That's easier said than done," I replied as I got Josh from his seat in the back. She gave me a reassuring smile as she lifted her hand to wave. Turning to see who Alice was waving at, I noticed that Esme had opened the front door and was walking towards us.

"Good afternoon, Ladies," Esme said cheerfully. "Where's Grandma's big boy?" She lifted her arms to take Josh from me and peppered his face with kisses.

"Edward's already here?" I questioned indicating towards his car.

"He is. There's no need to be worried, he'll be on his best behavior," she said giving my arm a reassuring rub. "Come on, everyone is inside waiting for us."

I mentally prepped myself for what could be an awkward afternoon as I walked across the pebbled driveway and through the front door. Everyone was milling around the enormous kitchen laughing and joking as we followed Esme through, and I noticed several hands reach out to ruffle Josh's hair in greeting, which messed it up even more than normal. I had spent ages before we left trying to tame it into some kind of style, but it was no use, it still had it's own will just like Edward's.

"Bella, there you are," Carlisle called as he made his way over to me with a bottle of lager in his hand. I never had Carlisle down as a lager drinker; he had always struck me as a fine wine kind of man. He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. "Don't worry, it'll all be fine," he whispered in my ear. "You look beautiful by the way."

I blushed and said, "Thank you," quietly as he released me from his grip. I quickly scanned the room looking for Edward and noticed him over by the doorway with Esme pointing something out to Josh. He glanced up and caught my eye giving me a weak smile which I returned.

"What would you like to drink?" Carlisle asked forcing me to break eye contact with Edward.

"Um, do you have any fruit juice?" I asked wanting to keep a clear head.

"Of course, is orange juice ok?" he asked.

"That's fine," I smiled looking back towards Edward, but he had turned away giving Josh his full attention once more.

I chatted with almost everyone over the next hour, everyone except Edward that is. Eventually we all made our way out into the garden and sat around the table that was bursting with various kinds of cold salad and pasta dishes. Surprisingly, I found myself relaxed enough to start enjoying it all.

Esme indeed kept her promise and didn't make a fuss, which was something I would be eternally grateful for. Emmett kept everyone entertained with stories of childhood antics and the laughter flowed easily as I found myself laughing along and joining in with the conversation. On a few occasions I looked across at Edward, who was sitting diagonally across from me with Josh in his lap, only to meet his gaze as he smiled cautiously at me, a smile which I always returned.

Josh was getting restless after being passed around the table like a game of pass the parcel, and eventually settled on falling asleep snuggled into Esme's shoulder.

"Would you like me to put him down?" I asked unsure of what I should do.

"Would you?" Esme asked. "I've placed a travel cot in the formal dining room just for today. I haven't finished working on his own room just yet." She gave me a wink that basically told me that Josh's room was going to be something rather spectacular, but then I wouldn't expect anything else from the doting grandma.

The conversation was still easy flowing and jovial around us when I returned, but one by one everyone made their way inside clearing away the empty plates and food bowls, intentionally leaving just Edward and me sitting at the table alone.

The air was uncomfortable, and rather than sitting in deathly silence, I decided to speak up first. "That was subtle."

Edward chuckled weakly, "Subtlety's never been their strong point."

I picked at my fingernails not knowing quite what else to say or do. Edward shuffled his feet underneath the table nervously. Laughter erupted from inside the house, and I could hear Emmett grumble something as the sound rang out of Rose slapping him. It broke the tension as Edward laughed.

"She knows how to keep him in line," he chuckled.

"She sure does. The poor guy doesn't stand a chance," I replied with a slight chuckle of my own.

"Bella, would you like to take a walk with me?" Edward asked with uncertainty. "There are a few things I need to say to you."

I picked up my glass of half drunken juice and gulped it down. "I'd like that," I smiled as I dabbed the corner of my mouth with a napkin.

Edward walked around the table and pulled out the back of my chair like a gentleman as I stood. Thanking him, I slowly walked away as Edward followed behind.

He eventually caught up alongside me and slowly, step by step, we strolled in silence as we made our way across the lawn and headed down towards the lake.

The only sounds that could be heard were the lapping of the water and the birds chattering away in the tree tops. A small fishing boat was situated quite a way out as two men sat at either end with their fishing rods hoping for the next big catch.

"Would you like to sit for a while?" Edward asked as we reached a steep incline of the embankment.

"That would be nice," I took a seat on the dry grassy hill. Edward sat beside me with only a couple of feet between us and stretched himself out as he leaned back on his hands and looked out over the water.

I hugged my knees up to my chest and picked random blades of grass out of the ground, as I studied them closely before throwing them down and starting again.

Neither of us knew what to say or where to start, so Edward finally took charge.

"Bella, I don't know where to begin," he looked straight ahead at the small fishing boat as it bobbed around on the water.

"Neither do I," I admitted as I twirled a blade of grass between my fingertips. I looked across at Edward, who turned his head to look at me. Being this close to him, I could see that the weight of this past week had taken its toll. His eyes were sunken with dark shadows underneath, but even that didn't detract from the fact that he was still the most beautiful man I had ever known. I offered him an encouraging smile, and his eyes crinkled and came to life as the corners of his mouth lifted as he smiled back at me.

He shifted his weight and changed his position to mimic mine as he started plucking at random blades of grass along with me.

"Can I start by saying thank you?" he asked as he looked back across the water.

I was confused, "Thank you for what?"

"For giving me Josh!"

I was momentarily taken aback and unsure how to respond, what do you say to that? ~ _"You're welcome, it was my pleasure."_

"It should be me thanking you!" I told him with a smile.

"We did good, didn't we?" He gently nudged my shoulder playfully, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Only Edward could come out with something like that.

"You know, I never thought that I wanted children," he said calmly, "but I felt a connection with Josh from the moment I met him. Don't ask me why because I don't know how, but then you told me that he was mine and I just panicked. You and I had begun to get close, and it all just hit me like a ton of bricks, the responsibility of it all..."

He paused briefly and looked across at me to gauge my reaction. I gave him an encouraging nod to continue.

"When I realized that you had known I was Josh's father and didn't tell me, I didn't know how to react. It was a mixture of feelings that I can't quite describe. I was so angry that you had kept it from me. I couldn't wrap my head around it, and yes, I admit that I did question your motives. Deep down inside, I knew that you didn't keep it from me with any malicious intent, but the anger of it all just wouldn't go away. I was scared too, and I know I ran away like an immature child."

He looked down at the ground unable to make eye contact with me.

"I was scared too, Edward, I never imagined that you would turn out to be Josh's father. I was shocked when I found out. I know I should have just told you right away, and I'm so, so, sorry for that. I just needed time to get things straight in my own selfish head first, and my irrational reasoning told me that if you had time to bond with Josh first, then you would be more accepting of the whole messed up situation. I guess all that backfired on me!" I sighed, not being able to look at him.

"We both messed up and made mistakes, and we can't turn the clock back. I would if I could, but I can't," Edward said regretfully as he stood and brushed the imaginary dirt off of his jeans. He walked down to the water's edge, and picked up several stones skimming them across the water while he was deep in thought.

I sat watching for a while as the stones bounced across the lake several times before finally sinking to the bottom.

He turned to me, "I'm so, so sorry for everything that I've put you through." The hurt in is voice was evident.

I nodded my response and patted the ground beside me.

"I'm sorry too," I told him as he came and sat beside me once more, running his hands through his hair. "I said some awful things to you the other day, things that I didn't mean." I looked down at the ground and bit my lip shameful for the things that I had said.

"I didn't mean to hurt you when I said those awful things and threw that check at you." Edward bowed his head.

"Yes, you did." It was my turn to playfully push him, letting him know that I was no longer angry.

Edward laughed, "Well, maybe just a little, but deep down I didn't mean it. I just wanted you to hurt the same way that I was. I hope one day I can earn your forgiveness, it was stupid, spiteful and childish."

"I should never have called you a sperm donor, Edward, now that was childish!"

We both laughed lightly together.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked him.

"I don't know, Bella. I really don't know!"

"How about we take that walk you wanted and discuss how we're going to work things out with Josh?"

It was my turn to stand and brush down my jeans.

"You've lost weight?" Edward looked at me concerned.

"Yes, it's nothing I can't gain back with a few hearty meals," I tried to make light of it.

"It suits you," Edward said as he swept his eyes over my body.

I scoffed, "You wouldn't say that if you saw me naked!" _Why on earth had I just said that? I mentally face palmed myself! _

Edward didn't retort, for which I was thankful, and instead decided that the best thing to do was to just stand and walk along beside me.

We walked along the embankment side by side, but neither of us allowed ourselves to get to close to the other. We chatted lightly about Josh and agreed that Carlisle's suggestion about Leah bringing him into the office on Wednesdays was a good one. Edward also agreed to have him every Saturday and pick him up from Esme and Carlisle's once Josh knew them well enough to stay the night. We also agreed that in time Josh could sleep over at Edward's both on Wednesday nights, as well as Saturdays.

We strolled along and joked over me suddenly having time on my hands, and the atmosphere turned a little stale when Edward mentioned me being able to spend most of the weekend with my new boyfriend, Roger. I blushed profoundly and Edward apologized for making me feel uncomfortable. I couldn't bring myself to explain who or rather what Roger was, and at the end of the day, it really wasn't any of Edward's business anyway.

The tension had lifted by the time we had reached Carlisle's boathouse, and we chatted away about safe subjects such as Emmett's silliness and work. Edward told me he would be sad that I would no longer be working for him, but we both agreed that it was probably for the best.

We hovered a little at the boathouse, and he looked a little uneasy as he stuffed both hands in his pockets.

"What is it, Edward? Spit it out." I told him as he shuffled his feet around in the dirt.

He was quiet for a while, obviously contemplating his words. "I... I...Look, Bella, I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but we really need to," he said quickly.

I furrowed my brow in confusion, but remained silent.

"We need to sort out some form of child support."

I sighed exasperated, "Edward, we get by just fine. We really don't need your money."

"Bella, please," he said gently. "I don't want this to turn into an argument. I know how proud you are, and I also know how much you've struggled and had to sacrifice things. Josh is my son, and it's my job to provide for him just as much as yours. It's something that I really want to do, that I need to do."

We walked to the end of the small jetty and I leaned over the railings looking down into the dark water below contemplating Edward's words. He stood silently alongside me looking out at the lake awaiting my reaction.

It was time to swallow my pride, and even though I didn't want Edward's money, I couldn't deny that in years to come, we would no doubt need it.

I pushed myself away from the railing and turned to face Edward, "Okay," I said. Edward visibly relaxed, and he turned to face me. We were face to face, less than 2 feet apart. "But there are conditions!"

Half an hour later and we'd come to a compromise. I had refused to take any of Edward's money directly, however, we had come to the decision that Edward would set up and pay into a trust fund for Josh that would eventually pay for his entire college education. In addition, it would also give him a lump sum and a monthly allowance once he hit the age of 25. Josh would be one very lucky boy, and my swear jar could go to another cause.

Edward also insisted that he would take financial care of all of Josh's childhood activities, as well as providing all eventual allowance money and any other essentials that he may need. We disagreed over the last part, but Edward claimed that since I provided the roof over his head, food in his stomach, and the cost of paying Leah to take care of him, that providing the little things was the least he could do.

The new agreement now meant that I would have more disposable income to provide things like days out and vacations, while Edward was providing for Josh like he wanted to. It was a win-win situation.

It was a relief for both of us to have discussed all of the important issues regarding Josh in a civilized manner without any misunderstandings or arguments. Edward promised that he would get Emmett to set up the trust fund first thing on Monday morning, and having ironed out all the details, we reluctantly made our way back along the embankment.

I had enjoyed spending time with Edward. I felt relaxed and that was a feeling that I hadn't felt around him for quite a while. We strolled along quietly chatting, and at one point we even shared one or two light-hearted laughs between us.

Eventually, we reached the bottom of the embankment that led us back to Carlisle and Esme's lawn, it was steeper than I had realized. Although I'd had no trouble getting down it, I was certainly having trouble getting back up, four inch heels were really not meant for climbing up steep, grassy inclines.

Edward noticed me struggling and reached out to take my hand. I blushed and hesitated a second before slipping my hand in his. The familiar warmth travelled through my body, and I knew that this was the place that I was meant to be. I looked up at him and noticed his eyes had turned a shade darker. _Did he feel it too?_

He pulled me to the top with ease and held my hand just a split-second longer than was necessary before we reluctantly let go.

He ran his hands through his hair before plunging them into the front pockets of his jeans. I smiled to myself and bit my bottom lip to stop myself from giggling like a schoolgirl. Edward HAD felt the connection, I was certain of it.

I was beginning to realize that there were several different sides to him. Right now he reminded me of the unsure, insecure Edward that I discovered when we first met. This was the Edward that had scooted away like a scared little puppy to the other side of the sofa while we were in Carlisle's office. Of course I'd seen the other sides to him as well. He could be ruthless and hard hitting in and out of the boardroom, but then there was the relaxed, softer side to him that he had shown me when we were together, and then his dark, commanding, passionate side while we made love.

I blushed scarlet at the latter thought. It had been so long since he last held me in his arms and glancing across at him now as he strolled slowly beside me, there was nothing I wanted or needed more than to just throw him down on the grass and ravish his whole body.

Tingles shot through me as Edward placed his hand on my lower back like a gentleman, indicating for me to go first as we reached the path that led us back towards the house.

He must have noticed me shiver at his touch. "Are you cold?"

"Um... No, just got a slight chill."

He smirked, the corner of his eye's crinkling in amusement. Did he know the effect that he was having on me? Did I have the same effect on him? Other than running his hands through his hair each time he got nervous, he showed no signs of any effects. Maybe everyone was wrong! Perhaps all Edward did want was to be nothing more than civil to me for Josh's sake.

Speaking of Josh, as we rounded the corner to the house, I could see him now, obviously awake in the play area giggling away as Jasper held his hand each time he slid down the slide.

"He looks like you!" Edward commented.

"He has your eyes and hair," I told him, my eyes never leaving the sight of Josh giggling away. "I tried to tame it this morning, but it just springs back up in all directions."

Edward chuckled, "I never could tame mine either; Josh's hair is slightly darker than mine though."

"It is at the moment, but it's getting lighter as the months go on. I think by the time he's fully grown, he'll have your exact coloring. He's going to be a little heartbreaker when he's older, and I hope you're gearing yourself up for lots of heartbroken girls' fathers beating down your door," I joked.

Edward groaned. "I hope he treats girls with more respect than I ever have."

"So do I," I said only half joking. "I hear you've left a trail of broken hearts behind you."

Edward was quiet for a moment.

"Did I break your heart, Bella?"


	32. Chapter 31

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 31**

Did Edward really just ask me if he'd broken my heart?

Luckily, I didn't have a chance to answer it as Josh squealed with delight when he noticed that both Edward and I were back. Jasper placed him upright and he tried his best to toddle over to us. He almost made it too before he stumbled and fell face first onto the grass below his feet, letting out an almighty cry.

We both went running over to him, but Edward got there first picking him up and wiping the dirt off Josh's face with his fingers. Josh cried more with shock than with hurt and held his arms out for me to take him.

"Oh, don't cry, little man," I soothed. "It was nasty Uncle Jasper's fault, wasn't it?" I said smirking at Jasper, who just rolled his eyes and pulled a face at me.

It was obvious that Edward didn't see the funny side, and Jasper looked at him unsure as what to say. "What do you think you were doing just letting him go and not following him?"

"Edward, you can't blame Jasper, it was an accident! Josh is just learning how to walk, and of course he's going to fall over a lot," I scolded.

"Thanks, Bella," Jasper said scowling at Edward. "I'm not used to kids. I'm sorry if he got hurt."

"He's not hurt. He's dented his pride that's all."

Jasper laughed, "Ugh, must take after his father after all."

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at the reaction on Edward's face. I don't think he was too impressed and childishly stuck out his foot to trip over Jasper as he walked away.

I shook my head in annoyance as Jasper and Edward started having a full blown shouting match at one another and decided to leave them to it, taking Josh inside so that I could clean him up properly.

"There you are," Esme called as I walked into the kitchen. "Where's Edward?"

"Fighting with Jasper," I offered by way of explanation.

Esme shrugged it off like it was an everyday occurrence while Emmett ran outside not wanting to miss anything.

I sat down beside Alice and Rose and thanked Esme for the washcloth that she offered me to help clean Josh up. Thankfully, he had stopped whimpering and was being the big boy that everyone kept telling him that he was.

Carlisle left the room. He probably didn't want to be left alone in a room full of women, and I presumed he went outside to visit with the boys.

"So, did you and Edward manage to have a chat?" Rose asked as she twirled her long blond hair around her fingers in boredom.

"Actually, yes, we did," I murmured. "Keep your voice down, he might hear you."

"Oh, stop worrying, he's not going to hear."

"So come on, tell us what happened," Esme said, taking a seat beside me. "Did he apologize? He better have!"

"Yes, he apologized. He was very sincere about it, and we got everything involving Josh worked out too."

"Blah, blah, blah... Get to the good stuff! Did you talk about getting back together?" Rose asked, as diplomatic as ever. She picked up her fork and scooped up a large mouthful of chocolate cake that sat on the kitchen table that just begging to be eaten.

"A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips," Alice scolded.

Rose paused, mouth open and fork at the ready, she seemed to contemplate Alice's words for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Screw it," she said as she devoured the cake in front of her.

"Come on, Bella, answer the question," Esme encouraged.

"No, we didn't. We just talked about Josh and walked for a while. It was no big deal."

"But we saw you and Edward holding hands?" Rose attempted to say, spitting crumbs of cake across the table as she spoke with her mouth full.

"How the hell did you see that? We were miles away," I exaggerated.

Esme blushed.

"We might have been in an upstairs window with Carlisle's binoculars," Alice said innocently.

"You were spying on us?" I gasped. "I expect it from these two, but not you Esme," I chastised her like a naughty child. "How could you?"

"Quite easily, Bella, they're very good binoculars 10/80, very powerful," Alice quipped and Esme looked suitably embarrassed.

"I don't believe you three acting like children," I shook my head in disgust. "Come on, Josh," I said standing up and settling him comfortably on my hip. "Let's go and see what the grown up's are doing."

I left the girls to stew in their own juices, wondering just how nosey could they really get? I was determined not to tell them a thing now. They could speculate all they wanted, but they weren't getting another piece of info out of me...Not tonight anyway.

I walked outside with Josh to find that things had calmed down somewhat. All the guys were sitting around the patio drinking beer and chatting about nothing in particular.

Edward waved at Josh, who kicked his feet wildly, which was his way of telling me that he wanted to be put down to walk. I did as he wanted, and Josh toddled over to Edward as quickly as he could. Edward placed his beer down and lifted Josh above his head high into the air. Josh squealed with delight as Edward basically used him like a set of weights, lifting him high and then bringing him back down planting a kiss on Josh's lips, before repeating the whole thing over several times.

The two of them were so entranced in their little game that I took a moment or several to check out Edward's biceps. I couldn't help myself, the solid muscles in his arms tightened each time he lowered Josh down for a kiss and stretched again each time he raised him. I licked my lips wishing that I could trail long hot kisses up his arms and across his shoulders towards his neck.

"See something you like," Emmett laughed, he was sitting on the patio steps to the left of me and had obviously notice my little ogling session. Thankfully, Edward was oblivious as he and Josh continued to play their game. I gave Emmett a scowl and a one-fingered salute as I turned and walked back into the house leaving the boys to it.

"She's back," Rose laughed as I padded back through the kitchen and sat back down in the seat that I'd left no more than 5 minutes earlier.

"Bella, I'm sorry we acted so childishly," Esme spoke softly. "We were just concerned that you and Edward may start fighting again. We really weren't trying to spy."

"Speak for yourself," Rose chimed in. Esme glared at her, and Rose shut up instantly. Not many people could do that to Rose, but Esme was one of them. She wasn't someone to cross even though she did have a heart of gold.

"So are you going to tell us what happened?" Alice questioned.

"Nope!"

"Oh, come on, Bella, we're your friends. You know we won't say anything,"

"There's nothing to tell." I folded my arms defensively.

"Noting at all?"

"Alice, leave it. Nothing happened, there is nothing to tell."

"Well, I'm not the only one who noticed the way you and Edward were looking at each other during dinner."

"We looked at everyone during dinner, Alice," I defended. "It's a party. People were talking, and you do tend to look at people when they talk!"

"Not like that you don't," Rose chimed in. "Did you see the way he almost drooled over her? It was as though he wanted to throw her across the table and take her right there and then!"

I blushed from head to toe, I knew that we had glanced at one another several times, but surely, Rose was exaggerating.

"Eww, Girls, that's my son you're talking about," Esme shivered.

"You know it's true, Esme. You must have seen it yourself."

"Well, yes, I did, but I still don't want to hear about it."

"It's all down to my fashion sense. Bella's ass rocked those jeans like I knew it would," Alice brushed imaginary dirt off of her shoulders and gave herself a pat on the back. "Now if you had gone without a bra like I wanted you to, I'd put money on it that you would have been fucking like rabbits by the time you'd reached the boathouse."

I couldn't say anything. Neither could Esme as we both stared at her open-mouthed. Rose sat in the corner sniggering away, and Alice was completely oblivious to what had just come out of her mouth.

I looked at my watch and commented innocently, "I suppose I best get going. It'll be going on 8 o'clock by the time we get home and I need to give Josh a bath. It will be way past his bedtime." In all truthfulness, it was past Josh's bedtime, but I would also be glad to escape the Spanish Inquisition.

"She's doing a runner!" Rose observed.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Alice quipped. "I'm the one who's driving her, so there's no escape."

Esme pulled me into a motherly hug, "I'm so glad that you and Edward are on speaking terms again."

"Me too," I told her truthfully. "Thank you so much for everything that you and Carlisle have done. I really do appreciate it."

"Nonsense, it was nothing, Bella. You'll learn that there's nothing we enjoy more than having family around us, and regardless of what does or doesn't happen between you and Edward, you'll always be family now. Thank you for giving me my grandson," she said as she hugged me tighter for a split second before letting go.

"I need the bathroom," Alice piped up.

"Too much info, Alice," I rolled my eyes.

"Who cares?" she shrugged. "Do you want to get Josh settled in the car, I wont be long," she skipped out of the door before I could say anything.

I made my way outside, "I'm heading off now, guys, it's getting late and Josh needs his sleep." Everyone groaned and gave us hugs and kisses as they said their goodbyes.

"I'll walk to the car with you," Edward said quietly as he carried Josh in his arms. The sun was setting and the dark nights were closing in on us. I was starting to get a little chilly. We didn't speak as we walked around the side of the house, and all you could hear was the sound of our footsteps crunching on the gravel. "Thanks for today," Edward said as we reached Alice's car.

"I had fun," I told him truthfully. "I'm glad we worked things out."

"Me too." He opened the car door. We stood for a moment facing one another only inches apart. The air crackled around us with tension. It was obvious that there were things that we both wanted to say, but neither of us did. What I really wanted to do was reach up on my tip toes and kiss the life out of him, and it broke my heart to know that it was no longer an option.

Edward eventually broke eye contact and gave Josh a kiss before placing him in his car seat. He couldn't get the buckle to fasten, so I had to do it instead as it was temperamental and had a mind of its own.

I was sure I heard Edward groan as I bent over the back seat to secure the straps, I couldn't help a little smirk to myself and made sure to hold that position just a little longer than necessary. I wouldn't be getting into heaven anytime soon that's for sure.

Eventually, I had no choice but to back myself out. I didn't realize that he was standing directly behind me and I jumped as my ass hit his groin, _which was genuinely unintentional,_ _but I enjoyed it all the same!_

"I'm sorry," I said blushing. "I didn't know you were standing there.

"It was my fault," he said. "I shouldn't have been so close." He ran his hands through his hair before stuffing them into the front pockets of his jeans.

I inwardly high-fived myself for working out that this is what he does when he's nervous.

"So, um... I guess I'll see you on Monday," he said rocking backwards and forwards on his heels.

"Maybe. I'm working back for Mike now, don't forget," I closed the door making sure that Josh was securely inside.

Edward nodded, "It'll seem strange not seeing you in the office."

"It will," I agreed, "but we both knew that it was only temporary anyway. It'll be good to get back to normal."

Edward didn't say anything, but instead took a step closer towards me. If I reached out just slightly, I could place my hands on his chest.

"Bella, I..."

"I'm here, are you ready? Have you strapped Josh in?" Alice bounded down the steps.

Edward stepped back away from me as he ran a hand through his hair. Again I couldn't help but smile.

"He's all strapped in, Alice," he told her as she clambered into the driver's seat.

I opened the passenger door and glanced up at Edward, he smiled weakly at me. "Bye," I said not wanting to get in, but knew I had no choice.

"Goodnight, Bella," he said softly as I climbed in. He closed the door behind me and gave Josh a wave before Alice drove away. I could see in the side view mirror as Edward stood and watched us leave before turning around and walking back towards the house.

Alice dropped me off at home a short while later. She wasn't too happy that she didn't manage to get any more information out of me, but to be fair, there wasn't any more info to give.

I fell into bed that night exhausted. I couldn't really make heads or tails out of the signals that Edward was giving off. Was he just being nice for Josh's sake? I hoped not, it would be nice if we could rebuild a friendship. I still felt the warmth of his touch as he held my hand, did he feel it too? I certainly hoped so.

Monday came around quicker than I expected, and I strode into Cullen International actually looking forward to my first day back. Tanya gave me her customary snarl which I had grown accustomed to, and between you and me, I had started to find her whole demeanor quite amusing.

The elevator arrived and before I knew it, I was exiting on the 15th floor. "Bella, it's great to have you back," Shelly called as she walked around her desk to welcome me.

"It's good to be back," I gave her a hug. James was making his way out of the copy room and beamed me one of his infectious smiles, which I returned along with a wave.

Settling back into my original office seemed a little strange at first, but I soon got reacquainted with things. The temp whom they had to replace me with while I was working for Edward had completely messed up my filling system, so I made that my number one priority for the day after visiting Mike for a brief meeting and catch up. He hadn't changed a bit. He and his office were still incredibly boring... And beige.

"How are you settling back in?" Esme called as she popped her head around the door a little before lunchtime.

Sitting on the floor surrounded by dozens of files wasn't my idea of fun, "Fine," I mumbled. "Come on in and take a seat." Esme strolled in and closed the door behind her.

"Busy?" she asked picking up some of the files that I had strewn around my desk.

"You have no idea," I slumped back against a filing cabinet. "Everything's messed up. I need to get it into some kind of order before I can even think about starting some work." I picked up the pile of files marked 101-200 and started putting them in alphabetical order. "Silly woman, fancy moving everything into numerical order," I mumbled to myself. Esme chuckled as she made herself comfortable.

"I brought you a coffee; looks like you're in need of it too."

I groaned, "Oh, Esme, you have no idea how much I need that right now," I stood and stretched. My knees popped from sitting on the floor too long and my back ached. It was instant relief when I sat down in the chair behind my desk. "You're a life saver."

Picking up my coffee I took a sip, and the hot liquid hit the mark. "This is good. Thanks."

"It's not a problem, I figured you would be stressing on your first day back," She picked up my now empty swear jar and raised a brow.

"It was full," I told her shamefully. "It was to go towards Josh's college fund, but I've now decided to put it towards a vacation fund instead. Did Edward tell you about our agreement?"

"Yes, I think it's a great idea. Edward and Emmett are looking into trust funds for Josh as we speak. I thought it was best to leave them to it, so I came down here for a visit. I'm very proud of the way you two worked things out."

"Well, it needed to be done, thanks for forcing us together. I doubt we'd have sat down and talked through anything anytime soon, especially with the way things were going between us." I took another sip of coffee and sat back in my chair stretching out my body.

"Actually, there was a reason for visiting!" Esme bent down and pulled a large folder from her bag. "I have a few ideas for Josh's room that I'd like you to look at, to see what you think," she said as she passed me the folder, which was about two inches thick and weighed a ton.

"These are the photos as the room stands now," she pointed to several photographs on the first page.

"Oh, Esme, it looks wonderful already!" The whole room was basically a mural of deep blue seas and tranquil skies, with white fluffy clouds dotted around here and there.

"I chose a nautical theme," she told me. "Between Carlisle and Charlie, I figured that Josh wouldn't have a choice, but to be out on the water with a fishing rod in his hand."

I laughed, simply because the image that she painted was one that I could see myself.

"Now if you turn the page, I need your help in picking out the furnishings."

Between us, we spent the next 40 minutes flicking through the folder choosing everything from flooring to light fittings. We decided on a sand colored hardwood floor that would work as a beach and would also be practical to keep clean when Josh spilled things. We also decided on a large rug with images of crabs sandcastles, starfish, and other assorted creatures woven through it. His bed was my favorite, in the shape of a rowing boat with removable oars. It was a little big for him at the moment, but he'd soon grow into it. All of his furniture and toy boxes were in distressed whitewash, and it really wasn't hard to picture the entire room and how it would look when it was finished. Josh would love it.

Esme jotted everything down that we had chosen and sat back satisfied that we had done a good job. I chose to use this time as my lunch hour, as I really didn't want Mike thinking that I was slacking on the job on my first day back. Checking my watch, I realized that I had around twenty minutes left.

"Do you fancy a walk down to the cafeteria?" I asked Esme who had started to gather up her things.

"I would love to, but I really need to get back to work. I still have several designs to go over and an order for a certain little boy's room that I need to place," she said with a smile.

Esme spent so much time at Cullen International that it was easy to forget that she had her own business to run at the same time. I wondered how she managed to fit everything in.

"I'll pop in and see you again on Wednesday. I'll be here for Josh's visit in the afternoon, so we can do lunch then, if you'd like."

"I'd love that," I told her truthfully as she gave me a hug goodbye.

"Tell my Grandson that Grandma says hello!" she walked out of the office with a spring in her step while I gathered up my purse and made my way to the cafeteria.

As the elevator pinged and the doors opened, I found that I wasn't surprised to see Edward standing inside. He had his briefcase in hand, so it was obvious that he was heading out to a meeting. He smiled as I stepped inside.

"Hi," he said cautiously. "Are you heading out?"

"No, I'm just on my way to the cafeteria," as if on cue my stomach rumbled and Edward chuckled.

"How's your first day back going?"

"Hectic. I've just spent the last 40 minutes with your mother picking out furniture for Josh's room. It's going to look great when it's done."

Edward bit the inside of his cheek in thought, "I suppose I should do something similar," he mused. "At my apartment, I mean, he needs his own room there, don't you think?" He was gauging my reaction.

"Of course," I smiled trying to reassure him that he hadn't said anything out of place. "Josh would love that."

Edward nodded, "He would, wouldn't he? You know there are still a few minor things that we need to iron out."

"Such as?" I was uncertain what he meant.

"Well, I was wondering if occasionally I could see him more than twice a week. I know it's not what we agreed, but it would be nice to get to know him better."

"I'm sure we can sort something out. We really need to sit down and talk it all through, and we only covered the major stuff on Saturday. How about we talk on Wednesday after you bring him home?"

The elevator pinged and the doors began to slide open.

"Wednesday's good for me," he said. "It's a date."

I looked at him taken slightly aback.

"I didn't mean it's a date," he ruffled his hair with his hand, and I couldn't help but smirk. "I meant..."

"I know what you meant, Edward," I placed my hand on his arm reassuringly before I stepped out of the elevator. "I'll see you on Wednesday!"


	33. Chapter 32

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 32**

I settled back into work over the next couple of days. Mike was as arrogant as ever, but I was one of the few people who actually liked him. It was a good job really, considering that as his PA I had to spend a great deal of time with him. I eventually got my filing system back into order and my office back to the way I liked it.

We had a new contract that Edward had managed to secure. It was the Cooper, Whyat and Greene contract that had sparked a lot of my insecurities regarding Edward and Little Miss Goddess. I still wasn't convinced that there was nothing going on between Edward and her, but Alice and Rose had assured me that it was all in the past, and I just had to accept that. Not that it was any of my business anyway.

The contract was huge and in some way or another, it had every department working on it. Thankfully, I wasn't hands on, but I still had the fallout from all the extra work that Mike and the marketing team had to do while working on it. I was snowed under in extra reports and files, but with Edward having Josh for a few hours tonight, it would allow me to work late and shed some of workload that was pinning me down.

Life had pretty much returned back to normal, and if truth be told, I was happier working for Mike than I was working for Edward. Mike was more chilled out_, something that I never thought I would hear myself say! _Edward had the weight of the working world on his shoulders, and everything had to be done precisely right, no room for error. I couldn't blame him really; other than Carlisle, he was the head of a multi-million dollar international company. If he messed up, it could cost the company millions, and it could also result in people losing their jobs!

The last time I saw Edward was in the elevator on Monday. The distance and time apart seemed to be doing us both some good, and I began to wonder whether "the mask" was even needed anymore. We'd had plenty of time to calm down, and on the last couple of occasions we had seen each other, it was evident that we were trying to move on from the animosity between us. We had talked quietly and calmly like two grown adults, and things had worked out like they should have all along. Who would have thought it?

"Bella, have you finished with the Mathewson report?" Mike asked as he walked into my office bringing me out of my musings.

"Just a moment and I'll get it for you," I stood and walked over to the row of filling cabinets, opening the drawer marked M-P. This system was so much easier than the stupid numerical system that the temp had organized. Pulling out the file instantly, I handed it to Mike.

"How's the Cooper, Whyat and Green file coming along?" he asked looking down at the mountain of paperwork strewn across my desk.

"Slowly," I admitted. "Edward is having Josh for a few hours tonight, so I'm going to stay late and get as much done as I can."

"That's good, but don't push yourself too hard; that's how mistakes are made!"

"I know, I'm only going to stay until 7 o'clock. I just want to get on top of it, that's all."

"Okay," Mike said as he flicked through the file in his hand. "Just take your time, Bella, we'd rather have the work done right than have any mistakes in it."

"I know that, there won't be any mistakes."

"That's good to hear," Mike said as he left the office with the Mathewson report still trying to find whatever it was that he was looking for.

I sighed to myself. I had hoped that Mike would have more faith in me to know that making mistakes was something that wasn't an option for me. At least not within my work, my private life, however, was a different matter.

The day rolled on at a snail's pace. At midday I had lunch at an uptown fancy French restaurant with Esme. It was so upscale that I couldn't even pronounce the name of it. I couldn't even decipher the menu and was grateful when Esme took charge and ordered for the both of us. We had a giggle at the French waiters who wore incredibly tight black pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. We both left feeling completely flushed, and I think the sight of them made both our days.

The afternoon also dragged by, but I was quite relieved to find that I was able to do much more work than I thought possible. If I continued at this rate, hopefully, I would be caught up by late tomorrow on the Cooper, Whyat and Greene files.

A little later I checked my watch, it was almost 3pm, and I knew that Leah would be dropping Josh off with Carlisle at any time now. We had agreed that she wouldn't bring Josh in to see me first, simply because it would upset him to see me for five minutes only to be whisked off upstairs to spend time with his Grandparents. Instead we choose for her to take him straight up to the 17th floor to Carlisle's office, and she would stop by this floor and leave a message for me at reception to let me know that he was safe and well.

At 3:30, Shelly popped her head around my office door to inform me that Leah had dropped Josh off, and that he was happy and playing with his cars when she'd left. I visibly relaxed knowing that my little man was safe and happy and close by. I knew that Carlisle, Esme, or Edward would never let any harm come to him, so instead of worrying, I put my head down and got on with my work. Strangely enough, the next few hours flew by, which surprised me considering how slow the rest of the day had been.

Pushing the door to my apartment closed, I kicked off my shoes and hung up my jacket. My poor feet were killing me, not that I'd been on them all day. It was because Alice insisted that that I cram them into stupid pumps with heels so big that I could pass them off as a javelin! From now on, I was going to wear ballet flats and suffer the pixie's wrath. _She'd never know anyway! _

It was 7:30 and I knew that Edward would soon be here with Josh. That poor boy's bedtime seemed to be getting later although there wasn't really a great deal that I could do about that. Padding over to the kitchen felt so good as my tired, hot feet hit the cool tiled floor. Opening the refrigerator, I pulled out the leftover tomato and basil pasta dish that I had made the night before and piled some on a plate. It tasted good cold and I made a mental note make a few extra portions the next time I cooked it, so that I could take some to work with me for lunch. I had just finished eating when there was a knock at the door. I wiped my hands on a towel before going to open it. Edward was standing with a sleepy Josh on one shoulder and the changing bag on the other.

"Come on in," I told him as I reached out to take Josh. He came to me with his arms outstretched, and I knew that if I didn't get him bathed immediately, he would fall asleep. "You wore him out. You guys must have had fun."

Edward chuckled as he followed me inside. "I don't think that it was me that wore him out, I think that was my parents."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I rolled my eyes and smiled. Edward looked genuinely happy, much more so than when we spoke on Saturday. Gone were the sunken eyes and dark circles, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I need to get this little man bathed before he falls asleep," I said as I walked into the bathroom and started to fill the tub.

"Can I help?" Edward was hovering in the doorway uncertain of what to do.

"Sure, here take Josh and strip him down, while I get everything ready." Between the two of us, things ran much smoother. Josh was so tired, but still managed a giggle when Edward squirted water from the rubber ducky onto his belly. After a quick bath, I sat at one end of the sofa with Josh in my arms reading him a story as he fell asleep. Edward was sitting at the other end listening to the story of the three little pigs intently. I could feel his eyes watching every little movement that Josh and I made. Strangely, it didn't feel uncomfortable.

"Can I lay him down?" Edward asked once Josh had fallen asleep.

"Would you like to?"

"I'd love to," he said quietly. "It's not a part of him that I get to see anymore." He wasn't resentful or bitter, it was just a matter of fact observation.

I smiled at him and realized how selfish I was being by complaining over not having enough time to spend with Josh, and yet Edward was his father and spent even less time with him. At least I was there for night time cuddles and kisses in the morning, Edward was missing out on all of that.

"Here," I said gently laying Josh down in Edward's arms. "Be careful not to wake him," I whispered.

Edward nodded and smiled lovingly down at Josh who hadn't even stirred. He carried him to his room while I went to the kitchen and cleaned away the remains of my dinner. I wiped down the kitchen, washed my hands, and then poured Edward and I both a glass of fresh orange juice. I knew that he was driving, so wine was out of the question. At first I placed the glasses on the dining table, but then decided that might be a little too formal, so I moved them over to the coffee table and took my seat back on the sofa.

I sat patiently waiting for Edward for what seemed like an incredibly long time; putting Josh down only took a matter of moments, and I was curious as to where he was. Quietly, I stood and made my way towards Josh's room, then poked my head around the door. What I saw before me melted my heart. Edward had pulled up a chair and was sitting watching Josh's chest rise and fall as he slept.

"What are you doing?" I whispered as I tiptoed over to them.

He smiled at me and whispered back "Sorry. I just couldn't resist watching him for a while... Look, he's dreaming."

I looked across at Josh's angelic little face and sure enough, his face kept on scrunching up, then he would smack his lips and smile all while still fast asleep. It really was quite mesmerizing and also quite comical.

I leaned over Edward and whispered in his ear, "You do that in your sleep." I don't know what possessed me to say something like that, but it was true. Edward visibly shivered as the warmth of my breath hit his neck, but never said anything in response. He just closed his eyes slowly and continued to smile.

We both continued to watch Josh in silence for several more moments.

"I poured us both a glass of juice," I spoke softly. "I know you're driving, so I didn't open anything stronger."

"Thank you," he said as he turned to face me, his face was cast in the shadow of the light breaking through the door from the hallway. "I'll be out in a moment, if that's okay?"

It took me a few seconds to regain my composure; the man really was beautiful. Every time I looked at him, my body felt as though it was on fire. Finally, I was able to find my tongue, "Take as long as you want." I tiptoed once again out the door and made my way back towards the living area. That man was going to be the death of me, I thought as I slumped down into the sofa and picked up my glass of juice taking a large gulp.

A few minutes later, I heard the quiet sound of Josh's door closing and Edward appeared at my side sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa.

"Sorry about that," he spoke quietly. "I just wanted to sit with him for a while."

"There's no need to apologize. It's only just struck me how much a part of Josh's life that you miss out on."

Edward nodded as he picked up his glass and turned towards me, he draped one arm over the back of the sofa and placed one leg underneath himself as he got comfortable. I found myself mirroring his actions until we were both sitting at opposite ends, but facing one another.

"You mentioned that you'd like to spend more time with him," I asked starting off the conversation.

Edward took a sip from his glass and placed it back on the coffee table, "Yes, if that's okay with you. Although to be honest, I don't know how we're going to work that."

I thought for a while, "You've missed out on so much of his life already."

Edward's face turned glum, "I know. If I'd have known about Josh from the start, I would have taken full responsibility; but to find out you have a one year old child that you never knew existed, comes as a bit of a shock."

"I didn't even know your name, let alone how to find you," I said shamefully.

"I know, Bella, it's not your fault. I'm just as much to blame. We were both drunk, and things happened." He seemed to be deep in thought until he finally spoke. "Anyway, let's not get into all of that again right now. Let's talk about how we're going to work things out."

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to steer the conversation away from the past and back to the present. He obviously was worried about us fighting again, and for that I was grateful.

"Okay," I started, following his lead to get the conversation back on track. "I know you would like Josh to stay over at your apartment on Saturday nights. I'm fine with that, but I think that for a little while Josh needs to get used to spending time alone with you first. I don't want him being overwhelmed."

"I understand all of that. I just miss not being able to put him to bed. It's a special time and I miss not being part of it, even when..." He stalled slightly, but carried on. "...things were different between us. I always enjoyed being a part of putting him to bed at night. I know it sounds stupid."

"It doesn't sound stupid, Edward...You're really good at this you know."

"Good at what?" he looked at me confused.

"Being a father, you're a natural," I smiled at him and he laughed.

"You know I never wanted children...at least I never thought I wanted them. I always felt uncomfortable around them, but then Josh appeared out of nowhere and even before I knew he was mine, I felt a pull towards him. It's hard to explain, but it was as though I felt he was mine even before I knew..." he laughed. "I know that doesn't make sense."

"It does," I reassured him. "It makes perfect sense."

We both sat quietly for a moment, I don't know what was going through Edward's mind, but mine was desperately trying to figure out how he could spend more time with Josh.

"I suppose you could always stay a little longer here on Wednesdays and Saturdays," I offered.

"I'm not following you," he said confused.

I squirmed around in my seat trying to get comfortable, "What I mean is, like tonight when you bring Josh home on a Wednesday night and on Saturdays, you could stay for a while, help bathe him and put him to bed. It's not an ideal solution, but it's all I can think of."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree, "You'd let me do that?"

"I just said so, didn't I?" I chuckled at his reaction.

"I wouldn't be getting in the way?"

"Why on earth would you be getting in the way?"

His face dropped slightly and I wasn't sure why, "What if you have...Company?" he ran his hand's through his hair.

"I'll make sure everyone knows not to come over on those nights. From now on, those nights belong to you and Josh. You can bring him home, bathe him, get him ready for bed, and read him his story. You can do the whole routine if it makes you happy."

The joy on Edward's face was evident.

"I'd love that, Bella, thank you," he smiled as he picked up his glass of juice and took a sip. "Emmett sorted out the trust fund."

"Did he?"

"Yeah, it's all up and running, so you can forget about the swear jar now," he joked.

"Oh, no, the swear jar stays. I'm going to save up and take him to Disneyland for a couple of weeks when he's a bit older."

"That sounds like fun. When were you thinking of taking him?"

"I was thinking maybe the year after next, when he's around three and a half or four years old. He'd get the most out of it then I think."

"I've never been to Disneyland, but from what I've seen, I think he'll love it."

"Maybe you could come with us..." the words were out of my mouth before I'd had a chance to even think them. I blushed scarlet and Edward's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"I...I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that," I put my head in my hands mortified at my words.

I couldn't see Edward, but I heard him as he let out a full on belly laugh at my mortification. I continued to hide as I felt the sofa dip down beside me as he moved across and pulled me into a comforting hug. I knew that he was only trying to reassure me over my obvious embarrassment, but being in his arms again made my breath hitch. I could feel the hard muscles of his chest on my cheek as he held me to his chest, and I knew that if I lifted my head up by just a couple of inches, our lips would be touching.

He was still chuckling away as I pushed myself out of his arms. I knew if I stayed there any longer, I would have either combusted or embarrassed myself further by sexually attacking him.

"I always enjoyed your lack of a verbal filter," he said as he released me from his arms. His eyes connected with mine as he did so, and I felt the balance of the room shift. Neither of us said a word as the chemistry flowed between us. _Could Edward feel it too? _

"I should be going, Bella," Edward almost whispered as he shook his head slightly to clear it.

I couldn't think straight. All my senses told me to just go in for the kiss, but rationality won out. "Okay," was my well thought-out reply as Edward stood and made his way to the door.

"Thank you for tonight," he said as he opened the door.

"You're welcome," I smiled not really knowing what else to do.

Edward turned to face me, "We still have other things to talk about."

"I know. There's plenty of time," I said finding the courage to look him in the eye.

Edward took a deep breath. It looked as though he needed to say something else, but refrained. Instead he lifted his finger and gently pushed a piece of hair that had fallen onto my face back behind my ear, skimming my cheek as he did so. I closed my eyes briefly savoring the moment.

"Goodnight, Bella," he said as he turned and walked away.

"Goodnight, Edward."

**A/N**

**I like how they're making slow progress reconnecting with one another. As for Josh I just want to squeeze his chubby little cheeks.**

**I know I'm a few days late but I hope that all of you in the US enjoyed a happy thanksgiving. I wish we had a day like that over here in England, all that yummy food and good company...Still; it's only just over four weeks until Christmas. The season of overindulgence and wanting to murder half your family...Good times! ;)**


	34. Chapter 33

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 33**

The next couple of weeks flew by, as Josh, Edward, and I settled into a comfortable routine. Edward would bring Josh home on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and being true to my word, I let him stay and put Josh to bed. He never stayed afterwards, instead once Josh was down, Edward would say his goodbye's and leave. He always seemed reluctant to go, but he never asked to stay and I didn't ask him. I didn't want to put him in the awkward position of saying no. It would have been embarrassing for both of us.

Work had calmed down and I was on top of things. The Cooper, Wyatt and Greene file was always expanding, but I was managing to keep up to date with it, along with all the other files and duties that came along the responsibility of my job.

Josh was getting to know his Grandparents pretty well and would easily go to them without any upset, and the same went for Jasper and Emmett. He was a little more wary of Jasper as he didn't see him as often, but all in all, the progress was good. Pretty soon Josh would be ready to spend his first night over with Edward. It was pretty daunting for me, but I knew the time would come eventually and they would both love it.

It also wouldn't be long before he was ready to spend the night at Esme's and Carlisle's house. It was a wonderful feeling just knowing that his Grandparents wanted to be so involved with his upbringing. Esme had finished Josh's bedroom a little over a week ago and was very excited to show me how it had turned out. I must admit that I couldn't wait to see it. Speaking of Grandparents, I knew that I really needed to make plans to visit Charlie. He missed us both desperately, and we didn't see nearly enough of him like we should.

Edward had turned one of the guest rooms at his place into a room for Josh. He refused to tell me about it and insisted that one day I could see it for myself. It warmed my heart to know that even though Edward and I had been getting along well for the last few weeks, I was truly welcome in his home. He also mentioned that he was turning one of his reception rooms into a playroom for Josh, something I knew Josh would love and so would Edward! _He never did like mess!_

It was Wednesday afternoon, the sun was shining unusually bright, and I decided to spend my lunch hour people watching in the park while I ate lunch there. It was too nice to spend the time cooped up in the office, so I grabbed my purse and made my way out of the building. The streets were busy as people rushed around getting on with their daily lives. By the time I had crossed the street and made my way to my favorite coffee shop, the line was a mile long. When it was my turn to be served, I had settled upon the idea of a plain ham salad sandwich and an iced lemon tea.

After paying for my order, I fought my way back through the crowded coffee shop, stopping by the trash can on the street outside to remove the lid from my drink. I took a long cool sip, it really was refreshing and just what I needed after being cooped up in the office all morning.

"Enjoying that?" a voice came out of nowhere.

"Embry, it's good to see you," I said looking up surprised. I had only met Embry once before when he came by to pick up Leah after she had stayed late one night. He seemed like a lovely, sweet guy. "How are you?"

"I'm really good, thank you. I'm just heading for some lunch; it looks like you are too," he said pointing to the brown paper bag in my hands.

"Yeah, I was just heading over to the park. I like to people watch" I laughed.

"Do you mind if I walk along with you?" he asked. "I'm heading that way myself."

"Of course not," I replied as we started to stroll along side by side. "I don't suppose Leah let you know it was her birthday next week, did she? I know how she likes to keep these things quiet," I told him, making conversation. Leah never liked to make a big deal out of anything, so I had pretty much figured that she would keep this tidbit of information to herself.

"No, she never mentioned a thing!" He looked shocked, asking, "When is it?"

"Tuesday, but she doesn't like to make a fuss. I've had her present tucked away for a couple of weeks now."

We spent the next few minutes throwing several gift ideas back and forth. "Hey, how about we have a look in there?" I said pointing to the window of a jewelery shop we had just passed.

I took Embry's arm and pulled him back to have a look. "I wouldn't even know where to start," he admitted.

"Well, what about a bracelet?" I suggested.

"Um...I'm not sure?"

"A watch?"

"Maybe."

"How about a ring?"

"I don't think I'm quite ready for a ring yet," he looked embarrassed.

"You can buy a girl a ring without asking her to marry you," I chuckled.

"I know," he replied looking rather shy. "All the same, I think I would rather get something else."

"Hey, how about a necklace and earring set?" I remembered Leah had been looking at a necklace and earring set as she flicked through a magazine Alice had left at my apartment.

"That sounds promising," Embry said, mulling the idea over in his mind.

This shop had several sets in the window, and we quickly ducked inside to look at them. Embry finally settled on one and was excited that he found something Leah would really like.

"I can't believe she kept her birthday from me," he sighed as we came out.

"Well, it's a good thing you bumped into me then," I joked. "Listen, I really have to get going or else I'm never going to get to eat my lunch."

"I know, me too," Embry said looking at his watch. "I was about to head off in that direction anyway," he pointed across the street. "It's been really good seeing you again, Bella, thanks for the gift ideas.

We gave each other a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

"You're really good for Leah you know," I told him truthfully.

"It's Leah who's really good for me," he smiled. "I'll see you again soon, Bella," he said as he waved and walked away.

I looked at the time and knew if I wasn't quick, I would never make it to the park. I took another long drink before setting off.

"You two looked very cozy," a voice said over my shoulder. I turned startled, accidently spilling half the contents of my iced tea straight down the white silk shirt that Edward was wearing.

"Oh, my God, Edward, I'm so sorry! You startled me," I rummaged through my purse frantically looking for a tissue to dab down the mess.

"Geez, Bella, the shirt's ruined now. You should watch what you're doing!"

I'd manage to find a flimsy tissue and started to blot down his shirt, but it didn't make any difference whatsoever.

"It's okay, Bella, I don't think that's going to help," Edward said as he took the tissue from me.

Edward was right, the shirt really was ruined.

"It wasn't just my fault, you know. If you had approached me from the front like any normal person, this wouldn't have happened."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," he sighed. "It's just been a busy day. Where are you off to anyway?"

"I was just off to eat lunch in the park."

"Looks like you had other lunch plans," he mumbled as he finished dabbing down his now ruined shirt.

"What did you say?" I asked, not hearing clearly.

"Nothing!" He said shaking his head.

"I'll pay for the dry cleaning?" I offered pointing to the mess I'd created.

Edward looked exasperated, "Seriously, Bella, forget about it, I have another shirt back in the office. Don't worry about it."

"I'll pay for it. Just tell me how much and I'll get you a new one."

"Bella, there's really no need. Honestly, just forget it. Look, I have things to do, enjoy your lunch."

Edward walked away looking pissed. I don't know whether it was because I had ruined his shirt or offered to pay for it, but with the look on his face I certainly wasn't going to bring the subject up again.

I checked my watch and saw that I only had thirty minutes of my lunch hour left. There definitely wasn't time to make it to the park. The only thing I could do was to go back to the office and eat there. I set off as fast as I could to catch up with Edward who was just crossing the street.

"Edward, wait!"

He turned around once he reached the other side and waited for me to catch up. His face was still like stone and I couldn't understand why.

"Where have you been?" I asked trying to make conversation.

"I had a lunch meeting not far from here. I decided it was quicker to walk than to take the car," sounding as if he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Was it not very successful?" I asked trying to work out what was wrong with him.

"No, it was a good meeting actually. I think I've pretty much got another contract in the bag."

"Oh, well, that's good. I'm sure Carlisle will be pleased."

Edward nodded, but didn't say anything as we reached the steps to Cullen International.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cullen!" Tanya said sweetly as we walked through the lobby. I got my usual customary grunt and a glare. It eased the tension somewhat as Edward smirked and placed his hand on my lower back to guide me into the awaiting elevator.

"So… Josh will be here in a few hours," Edward said, trying to break the silence.

"Yes, he will. What are you planning on doing tonight, anything exciting?" I asked.

"Well, his playroom is finished, so I thought I would show him that," he answered, talking about Josh always made Edward's face light up. There was no doubt in my mind that he loved his son unconditionally.

"He'll love that. He'll be worn out by the time you bring him home."

Edward chuckled, "I think that I'll be worn out before he is! That kid has so much energy. Did you know that my mother spent 3 hours at my apartment yesterday baby-proofing it?" he laughed. "Socket covers, cupboard locks, gates, guards, you name it, she did it. Who would think that someone so small could get up to so much mischief?"

"Did you remember to move the DVD player to a higher shelf? It's not that long ago that I found a soggy baby biscuit rammed into the drawer of mine," I sighed.

"That kid gets into everything," Edward chuckled.

"He sure does now that he's walking. You need eyes in the back of your head."

The elevator pinged to indicate that I had reached my floor. Everything seemed back to normal and Edward was no longer stony-faced.

"I'll see you tonight," Edward smiled as I walked out of the elevator.

I gave him a little wave, and I was sure that as the doors were closing behind me, I could once again feel his eyes on my butt... _I gave it a little wiggle just in case!_

"Bella, he's been a nightmare!" Edward sighed as he walked into my apartment. I couldn't help but smile at the exasperated look on his face as he placed Josh down on the floor, who toddled off, no doubt looking for more mischief to get himself into.

"What's he done?"

"What's he done? Bella, the phone rang and all I did was turn around to answer it. When I turned back, he had pulled every single toy off of the shelves and out of the toy boxes. The whole playroom looked like a bomb-site. Do you realize just how many toys there are in there? And then to top it off, I needed the bathroom, so I sat him down on my bed and when I came back, he'd...He'd... well, he'd touched something that he shouldn't have!"

"Like what?"

"Nevermind."

"Oh, come on, Edward, I'm his mother. I have a right to know what my son has been doing."

"Bella, I really don't want to discuss this."

"Edward, tell me what he's done!" I stood with my hands on my hips, I wasn't about to let up on this! If Josh had done something bad, then I had a right to know. Edward shifted his weight uncomfortably. He knew I wasn't about to let this go, and looked down at the floor slightly flushed.

"Okay," he said. "He got my lube and squirted it all over the bed!"

"He...What?" I pulled both my lips between my teeth and bit down hard.

"He got my lube and squirted all over the bed!"

I really couldn't help myself. I tried my hardest, but it didn't work; I keeled over.

"I'm glad you find it amusing," Edward stated whilst I clutched my stomach screaming with laughter. "Those sheets cost almost one thousand dollars, Bella. It's not a laughing matter, and I've had to throw them in the garbage!" He threw himself down on the sofa pissed at the fact that I found it all so amusing. Josh climbed on his knee and gave Edward a kiss as if to say he was sorry.

Eventually, I managed to pull myself together, _sort of_. I was still biting the inside of my cheek to keep the giggles at bay. Although deep down inside, I was all hot and bothered at the mental image of what Edward was doing with that bottle of lube. "You really should keep a better eye on him, Edward."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him when I need a pee?"

"Take him in with you! That's what I have to do. Besides, it will be good if he watches you pee, he'll know what to do when he needs to go potty!"

"I am not having him watch me pee!"

"Why not? He watches me."

"That's different, you're his mother."

"You're his father."

"I'm not having this discussion. It's not happening and that's final."

"Fine. I guess you'll just have to get rid of your lube, go dry, it's not my problem."

"Did you really just tell me to go dry?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "He could have swallowed that, Edward, think yourself lucky that it was only the bed sheets that were ruined."

"I know, it could have been a lot worse," he blew a raspberry on Josh's cheek causing him to jump and scramble off Edward's lap kneeing him in the nuts as he did so. "That kid will be the death of me," Edward groaned as he doubled over in pain.

I shook my head and scooped up Josh, tickling him as I did so. "Come on, little man, let's get your bath. Daddy can join us when he gets his breath back." I walked off into the bathroom leaving Edward alone to wallow in self pity.

He joined us shortly after and soon got into the swing of things as he splashed Josh repeatedly with water. "I'm getting my own back at him," he laughed as he flicked water into Josh's face. Josh giggled and slapped both his palms face down sending water cascading over the edge and soaking Edward's shirt.

"You were saying?" I giggled as I handed him a towel.

"This really isn't my day. If it wasn't for seeing that damn DNA test result, I would swear he was the child of Satan," he groaned as he dabbed his shirt.

"Take it off, Edward. I'll put it in the dryer!"

He looked at me unsure if that would be best. "It's okay. It'll dry soon enough."

"Edward, just take off the damn shirt."

"No."

"Stop being so childish and take it off. What do you think I'm going to do, Edward, try and jump your bones just because you won't have a shirt on?"

He muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch as I walked into my bedroom.

"Here," I said as I came back to the bathroom and handed him a t-shirt.

"This is mine!"

"You left it here," I said embarrassed. I didn't tell him that I had slept in it several times just to feel closer to him.

He raised a brow, "Did I leave anything else?"

"No," I lied, deliberately not mentioning the pair of boxer shorts that I often wore underneath the t-shirt; _he wasn't getting those back_!

"Thanks," he smiled as he stripped out of his shirt.

I almost moaned as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and his chest came into view, his pecs flexed as he slid the shirt from his shoulders and down his arms. I couldn't take my eyes off the defined lines of his six pack, and my panties flooded as my eyes followed his happy trail that led into the waistband of his pants. My view was broken as he slid the t-shirt over his head and pulled it down to cover his body.

I held up Edward's wet shirt. "I'll just go and put this in the dryer," I stammered.

He looked up into my eyes and I blushed; I'm sure he knew that I'd been checking him out.

"Okay," he said softly, never breaking eye contact. "I'll get Josh dried and ready for bed."

His eyes were dark and wide, and I couldn't break away from his gaze. We held each other's attention for what felt like an eternity, neither of us wanting to break eye contact. Eventually, I conceded and slowly left the bathroom. I don't know what just happened. It's hard to explain, but it was as though Edward and I just shared a moment...a moment of what I wasn't quite sure about, but still a moment all the same.

Edward came out of Josh's room after laying him down for the night. "He's out for the count," he told me as he came to stand beside the kitchen counter. "But then I'm not surprised with the antics that he's got up to today."

"He's growing up fast," I was a little sad over the fact that my little man wouldn't be so little for much longer.

"Too fast, he certainly knows his own mind."

"He takes after you, he's stubborn!" I teased him.

"I'm not stubborn," he laughed leaning on the kitchen counter. "I just know my own mind."

"Edward, you'd bite your nose off to spite your face," I pushed him playfully. "Your shirt's in the dryer. Do you want a drink while you're waiting?"

"Please, just water, I'm driving."

I reached into the refrigerator bringing out two ice cold bottles. "There's something that I'd like to talk to you about," I said as I handed him a bottle.

"What's that?" he asked as he pulled out a chair and took a seat at the dining table, and I did the same.

"I was actually thinking about taking Josh to see my dad. We really don't get a chance to see him very often and it would be nice to spend some time with him. Plus, I would be able to take Josh down to La Push Beach before winter sets in and it gets too cold." I unwrapped the seal from around my bottle of water. "It would only be for a couple of days," I told him nervously.

"That sounds like fun, when were you thinking of going?" he asked sounding like he was on board with the idea, and my spirits picked up a little.

"Well," I said cautiously, "I was thinking about leaving on Friday after work and coming home on Sunday!" I nervously unscrewed the bottle top from my water and waited for his reaction.

"Hell, Bella, why does it have to be in my time? Josh and I are still getting to know one another and now you want to take him away." He wasn't shouting and his voice wasn't raised, but I could tell he was upset.

"When else do you suggest I do this, Edward? I work 5 days a week, I'm sorry if it cuts into your time with him, but we really need to spend some time with my dad. Maybe you could come by Sunday evening and spend some time with Josh then," I offered by a way of compromise.

Edward shook his head. He really wasn't happy about this, but I didn't know what else I could say or do.

"Have you already got this arranged? Does Charlie know that you're coming?"

I shook my head, "No, I wouldn't do that to you. It's cutting into your time with Josh, so the least I could do is ask you first."

He rubbed his jaw with his hand, deep in thought. "Well, at least that's something I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned.

"Nothing, forget it. I'm just really pissed that I have to lose out on my time with Josh that's all. I really look forward to spending the full day with him, and now all I get is an hour or two on Sunday evening when he'll be tired. It's not fair to him or me!"

"I'm not doing this deliberately, Edward," I was starting to get a little ticked now, and my voice was starting to rise slightly. I needed to get myself under control before we ended up having one of our arguments. "Look, it's only for one weekend, Edward, it's not as if it will be a regular thing."

"I know that, but you have to see my point of view. I need to see my son," he said emphatically as he tapped his fingers on the table in frustration.

"Oh, for God's sake, Edward, calm down. If it means that much to you, why don't you come with us?"

Silence fell across the room as the weight of my words sunk in. Had I really just asked Edward to spend the weekend with us? I closed my eyes in thought and wrapped my lips around my bottle of water before taking a large gulp. I needed to pull myself together, what would he say? Did I even want him with us all weekend? After all, we had only been back on speaking terms for a few weeks. Hell, who was I trying to fool? Of course I wanted him with us, even though it was my lack of a verbal filter that did the asking.

I opened my eyes and looked across at Edward to gauge his reaction. Only his eyes weren't deep in thought as I expected, instead they actually looked like they were deep in lust. I followed his gaze only to find that he was staring intently at my lips wrapped around the neck of my bottle of water. I released the bottle with a pop and swallowed hard!

Edward did his own share of swallowing before shaking his head to himself, "Did you really mean that?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

YES, YES, YES! I wanted to shout but instead I kept my composure, wearing a mask for all those weeks certainly paid off.

"If you would like to come along, then we'd be happy to have you there," I smiled. "That is, if you want to," I shrugged. "I mean, you'll have to sleep on the sofa because there are not enough rooms. Then Charlie will probably bore you to death with his fishing stories, but yeah, Josh would like it. It'll be fun."

Edward stared long and deep into my eyes, I don't know what he was searching for, but he seemed to find satisfaction in something.

"Well, then, if the offer still stands, I'd love to tag along," he smiled. "Are you sure I won't be in the way?"

"If I'd have thought that, I wouldn't have invited you!"

Edward seemed satisfied with my answer. "Well, I guess that's sorted out then. Hang on, how were you even getting to Forks?" he asked.

"By hiring a car for the weekend, the rental place by Pike Place has some really good deals at the moment."

"Forget that, we can take one of my cars. The weather's always bad in Forks, maybe the SUV would be best," he muttered more to himself that to me.

I shook my head not wanting to argue with him over it. The dryer pinged to let me know that Edward's shirt was dry. I quickly took it out and folded it up neatly as he sat nearby. I could feel his eyes watching my every movement as he finished off his bottle of water.

"Thanks for this," he said indicating to his shirt as I passed it to him. "I guess I should be going, it's late."

I glanced at my watch; it was already almost ten-thirty.

"I guess we'll be seeing you on Friday?" I said as I walked with him to the door.

Edward hesitated as he opened it, "I'll need to pick you up from here because of all the luggage, shall we say 4 pm? That way we could hopefully be at Charlie's by maybe seven or eight."

"That sounds perfect," I smiled. Edward's eyes automatically travelled to my lips, which I licked instinctively. He took a step towards me before realizing what he was doing.

He smiled at me. "Goodnight, Bella," he said as he walked through the door closing it behind him.

**A/N **

**To everyone who has spent just a few moments to review this story I would just like to say a huge THANK YOU. Between you all you have managed to push the review count for MOI to over 2,000. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I never, ever, expected that kind of response and if I could have give you all a hug then I would. Thanks again.**


	35. Chapter 34

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 34**

"Is that everything?" Edward asked as he put the final bag into the back of the SUV. I don't know how he managed to make everything fit, but he did.

"I think so, let's just run through it all; travel cot, stroller, diapers and changing things, Josh's clothes, my clothes, your clothes... Yep, I think that's everything."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, his teddy, Edward, we can't leave his teddy behind. He'll never sleep," I said taking off up the stairs to my apartment to retrieve it. By the time I returned, Edward was checking the straps that held Josh securely in the back seat. He'd checked them three times already, and it was verging on madness.

"If you pull those straps any tighter, he'll not be able to breathe," I scolded him.

"Just checking," he said closing the rear door.

He clambered up into the front seat and set the GPS, "Are you sure that's everything? Because once we set off, I'm not turning back."

"Yes, I'm sure," I said rolling my eyes at him. "We have all the major things anyway. If there's anything we've forgotten, we can buy it over there."

"Do you have your seat belt on?" he asked glancing across at my chest, his eyes lingering a little longer than they should have.

"Yes, Edward, I have my belt on, now just drive, will you? At this rate we'll never get there."

The roads out of Seattle were hectic, not surprising really as it was almost Friday rush hour, and everyone was heading home to start their weekend. Once we made it off the ferry and out of the city, it was a pretty smooth ride. Josh was on his best behavior and played with the dozen or so toys that surrounded him. I was hoping to keep him awake for as long as possible, so that he would sleep better tonight. After an hour or so, I had no such luck keeping him awake, and he drifted off in his car seat with his head lulled to one side and his mouth wide open.

"Are you sure that Charlie's okay with me tagging along?" Edward asked as he sped along the 101 towards Port Angeles.

"He was a little surprised when I told him, but he's really looking forward to it," I responded.

"Does he even know that I'm Josh's father?" Edward asked suddenly concerned.

"Um...Not exactly."

"Not exactly. What's that supposed to mean?"

"No."

Edward groaned.

"There's something else too."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not."

"Spit it out, Bella, just get it over with."

"Well, um...With everything that's happened, I haven't really spoken much to Charlie and I guess he doesn't even know that we're no longer together!"

I noticed Edward's hands tighten around the steering wheel as he took several deep breaths.

"He's going to shoot me!"

I sniggered, "Edward, he's not going to shoot you!"

"He is, Bella. He's going to shoot me and then cut off my balls and mount them on the wall like some kind of sick souvenir."

"If you don't stop being so melodramatic, I'll cut off your balls and hang them on the wall! Now shut up!"

"Bella, in his eyes, I'll have knocked up his daughter and then dumped her."

"You're being ridiculous, Edward, Charlie's not like that. He doesn't ask questions, and he doesn't get involved. Now drop the subject and concentrate on driving."

I could sense Edward's unease, but he did indeed quiet down and we spent the next hour in a relatively comfortable silence.

The closer we got to Forks, the heavier the rain became, but it was somehow soothing to hear it as it pounded against the roof. The wipers were swishing away at a furious pace as Edward calmly hummed along to the soothing sounds of the music that was currently playing on shuffle from his I-Pod. Josh was still asleep, and it wasn't long before I found myself joining him.

"Bella, Bella, BELLA!" I jumped as Edward practically screamed my name. "I've been trying to wake you up for the last five minutes, we're almost there."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up still a little sleepy headed. There's not much room to stretch and yawn when you're strapped into the passenger seat of an SUV, but I did the best I could.

"What time is it?" I asked rubbing my eyes.

"Almost eight o'clock. According to the GPS, we should be there in another ten minutes or so."

I turned around to check on Josh, who was now awake and playing with his stuffed duck. "Hey there, little man, did you have a good sleep?"

He gave me a cheeky grin and went back to babbling away to his duck as I rubbed his chubby leg and turned back to Edward.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long," he glanced across at me, "maybe half an hour or so. I think Josh is starting to get hungry. He got a little antsy while you were asleep. Do you think your dad will have anything for him to eat?"

"Probably not, but Charlie isn't known for his cooking skills. It's okay though, I came prepared and packed a few jars of food in one of the bags in the trunk."

We carried on in silence for another few minutes. The rain had eased, and there was just a light drizzle in the air.

"It's the third house on the right once you get past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign," I told Edward. The houses were pretty well-spaced out, so he had no problem in finding it.

"This one?" he asked as he slowed down and pulled over beside my old battered truck.

"Yeah, this is it," I smiled as I took in my surroundings. Dad lived on the outskirts of town, and being the Chief of Police, he preferred it that way. Once he was off-duty, he liked to surround himself with peace and quiet. The house hadn't changed much in the last 7 months since I was here. The front porch had been freshly painted in white, and the yard still contained my battered old truck that hadn't seen better days since the 1960's. This to me was, and always would be, home.

"There you are," Dad called as he threw open the porch door and practically ran down the steps.

"Hi, Dad," I swung my legs out of the car and only just managed to stand up before being engulfed in one of Charlie's hugs. "It's great to be back."

"It's great to have you back, Bells," he said before releasing me. Edward made his way around to join us.

"It's good to see you again, Chief Swan," he extended his arm and he and Charlie shook hands firmly.

"I've told you before, Edward, there's no formality. You can call me Charlie," Dad smiled at him warmly.

"Charlie it is then," Edward said before releasing dad's hand.

"Now where's that grandson of mine?" Charlie asked as he opened the rear and peeked his head inside. "There you are, Josh! Are you coming out to say hi to Grandpa?" Dad reached inside to release him from his car seat. "Jeez, Bell's, these straps are tight," Dad commented. I looked at Edward, who just shrugged his shoulders and set about emptying the trunk of all the bags.

Once inside we carried the bags up to my old room and set up the travel cot. Nothing had changed since the day I'd left for college. The old pin board above the desk still held several faded photographs and my bookshelves still had lots of mementos from my high school days strategically placed here and there. None of my books remained as I'd packed them up and taken them with me when I left.

"So, this is my room," I said to Edward who was standing looking at the photos on the pin board.

"I can tell," he said with a smirk as he spotted a photo of me at around the age of 5, playing on the tire swing that was still attached to the tree out back.

"That's you?" he asked pointing to the picture.

"Um, yeah," It was quite embarrassing to have Edward stare at a five year old me with scuffed knees and a lopsided ponytail in my hair; Charlie could never manage to get the ponytails straight!

"You were cute!"

"Hey, I still am," I joked playfully bumping my hip against his. Edward didn't reply, but he did glance down at me with a smile.

Thankfully, dad didn't attempt to cook! We sat down at the small kitchen table and tucked into a wonderful Irish lamb stew and dumplings that Sue had sent over earlier in the day with clear instructions on how it should be warmed; even Charlie couldn't mess that up. It was delicious and I was so thankful to the woman for having mercy on us, sparing us from dad's attempts at cooking that I could literally kiss her.

Dad didn't have a high chair for Josh, so he happily sat on my knee while he tried to get his spoon into his mouth. He made several attempts before throwing it down in frustration and started to use his fingers instead.

"So what are you kids planning on doing while you're here?" Dad asked as he stuffed a dumpling into his mouth.

"Well, how do you feel about if we all take Josh to the beach tomorrow?" I asked uncertain as to whether Charlie had made plans. "The weather's supposed to be nice, and Josh hasn't been to the beach before."

"That sounds great, but I kind of already made plans," Charlie said looking hesitant. "It's Sue's mother's 75th birthday, and they're having a small family get together early tomorrow evening. With your surprise visit and everything, I really wanted to get out of it, but it's been planned for a while."

"Aww, Dad, you should have said something. We could have come another weekend instead." I felt genuinely awful that I had basically just gate-crashed his weekend without giving a second thought as to whether he already had plans.

"Nonsense, I'm just glad to have you home. Besides, I won't be gone the whole day, and we still have tonight, as well as Sunday morning, to spend time together. It's not as if we're not going to see one another."

I glanced over at Edward, who was leaning over wiping Josh's mouth free from gravy while making silly faces at him, and sometimes I wondered who the child was!

"I was actually going to ask you if you'd mind if I took Josh with me?" Charlie asked. "I don't get to spend enough time with that grandson of mine, and I'm sure you two lovebirds would appreciate some child-free time to yourselves."

I almost choked on a chunk of potato, while looking across at Edward who had practically frozen solid.

"Um, Dad, I'm not really sure that's a good idea," I glared at Edward practically begging with my eyes for him to help me out. "It's just that Edward came along, so that he could spend some extra time with Josh, and..."

"No, Bella, it's okay," Edward interrupted. "Let Charlie take him. It's only for a few hours, and he sees far less of him than I do," he said suddenly siding with Charlie. "Besides, there's nothing stopping us from still going to the beach. We could all go after lunch, and Charlie and Josh could leave a bit earlier that's all."

"Great," Charlie said his spirits suddenly raised. "Maybe you two could take a nice stroll or go out for dinner or something?"

Edward and I looked at one another with blank stares. It was best not to feed Charlie's imagination, so neither of us said a word. Instead I turned my attention to Josh, who was getting rather restless sitting on my lap.

"Here, have some more dinner," I told him as a picked up a spoonful of stew. Josh squirmed and turned his head away clearly having had enough. He tried crawling down from my knee, but I held him fast as he let out a small whimper and held his hands out for Edward.

"Dadadee," he cried.

Edward gaped with mouth open wide, while my eyes welled up with tears.

"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Edward almost whispered as a huge grin started to spread across his face.

I nodded my head, "I'm certain he did." Josh's cries got louder; he clearly wanted to get down and go to his father.

"Say it again, Josh!" Edward encouraged, holding his arms out for the little monster squirming in my lap. Josh remained tight lipped as I passed him over to Edward, who stood him in his lap so that they were face to face. I dabbed my eyes that had welled up with emotion. This was a huge step for both of them, and I was so happy I was there to witness it.

"Come on, say it again, say Daddy...Dad-Dee," Edward said obviously over the moon at our little man's new development.

Josh remained tight-lipped as he patted his palms against Edward's cheek, "Dad-Dee," Edward repeated, still nothing. I could tell he was a little upset; he obviously wanted to know that Josh knew who he was and that it wasn't a fluke.

Edward kept repeating it, but nothing. Josh was refusing to play ball. He eventually got bored and wanted down from Edward's lap.

"Dadadee," Josh finally said again as he looked at Edward before climbed down and pointing over to one of his toys.

"He said it!" Edward jumped up from his seat grinning from ear to ear and scooped up Josh who was completely oblivious as to what he had just done.

I was over the moon for both of them and although it wasn't the same as having it on video, I whipped out my cell and took a photo silently capturing the moment.

We were so caught up in ourselves that we were completely oblivious to the elephant in the room. That was until he decided to clear his throat. Edward and I both froze and looked across at Charlie, who was completely bewildered by the developments over that last 5 minutes.

"Is there something I should know?" Charlie asked, his face giving away nothing.

"I thought you said he didn't ask questions?" Edward whispered kneeling down on the floor beside me playing with Josh.

"He doesn't," I mumbled back quietly. "He's a cop, he just glares at you until you give him the information he wants."

"Great!"

I spent next twenty minutes explaining to Dad how Edward and I had known each other previously, but had lost touch... It was the truth...In a round-about way! He really didn't need to know how his one and only daughter got so drunk that she got knocked up by a one night stand.

Edward visibly gulped as he sat at the table staring across at Charlie; yes, he knew he had a gun!

"So let me get this straight," Charlie said to me after I'd finished telling him a watered-down version of events, "You hooked up, lost touch, you found out you were pregnant, Edward didn't even know about Josh, and then you met again?"

"That's basically it, sort of," I said playing with the edge of the tablecloth.

Dad shook his head, "Well, that's one hell of a tale." He looked mad and then he did the very last thing that I expected, he laughed. Edward and I shared a quick WTF glance at one another, but remained silent. "At least you know who the father is," he continued to chuckle. "I was beginning to think you didn't even know and had hooked up with a one night stand like some common tart."

I blushed and visibly paled at the same time, if that's even possible.

"That was a joke by the way, Bells, I know you're not really that type of girl."

I looked up at Edward, who was actually as pale as I felt.

"But at least it all worked out in the end," Charlie nodded his head. "Josh has his Daddy and you two are back together, so it all turned out well."

I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. I had conveniently left out the part where we had split up, just for Edward's sake more than anything else. I knew he was worried over Charlie's reaction to all of this, so I had kept quiet about that.

"Congratulations, Son," Charlie grinned as he leaned over the table and shook a shocked and bewildered Edward's hand. "You just make sure you take good care of these two, they're everything I have."

Edward swallowed hard, "I will, Charlie, and you don't need to worry."

Edward and I never mentioned the incident at the dinner table that night as we put Josh to bed. It was too uncomfortable, and even though we were both relieved that Charlie knew a watered down version of the truth, we were still in shock that he actually thought that we were still together. I wished that it were true!

The three of us spent the next couple of hours drinking beer, telling stories and sharing jokes. Dad and Edward got along like a house on fire, and it was nice to sit back and watch them interact with one another. Even though it was only the second time that the two of them had met, Dad treated Edward like the son he'd never had.

"Alright, kids," Dad said as he finished up the final dregs of his Vitamin R. "It's time for this old man to head up for the night. Are you sure you're going to be alright on the sofa, Edward? It's not the most comfortable of places." Although Dad thought Edward and I were still in a relationship and we had a child together, he was still old fashioned deep down. There was no way on this earth that he was going to offer to let Edward sleep in my bed! _Thank God, or unfortunate, depending on which way you looked at it!_

"I'll be fine, Charlie, no need to worry about me," Edward said as he placed out the blankets that I'd fetched him earlier.

"Okay, then goodnight, kids," Dad gave me a hug and told me that he loved me. I returned the sentiment, something that we always done as part of our nightly ritual while I was growing up. Charlie climbed the stairs and as I heard his door close, Edward turned off the TV.

"Are you wanting to go to sleep? I could leave if you like," I told him quietly so as not to disturb anyone.

"No, you're okay," he said. "I still have my beer to finish."

I sat back down on the sofa that was now a makeshift bed.

"So, Charlie knows everything," Edward said looking a little nervous.

"Not quite everything. I left out the part about us no longer being together for your benefit. I figured you valued your life too much."

"Well, thanks for that," he chuckled, as we clinked beer bottles. "Cheers," we said in unison.

"So, Josh said Daddy," I smiled.

"I know. You have no idea of how proud I am," Edward said with a far away look.

"Oh, I think I can guess!" I teased. "I've never seen you grin so big. I thought the corners of your mouth were going to split, you were smiling that wide."

"I never thought for one moment that I'd ever hear a child call me Daddy," he confessed.

"Are you glad you did?" I asked taking a swig of my beer.

"Absolutely! It's the best sound in the world. I just keep thinking of all the things that I missed out on."

"Such as?"

"Well, his birth for a start. I really wish that I could have been there to witness it," he said sadly.

"Believe me, Edward, it was not a pretty sight," I cringed at the memory of the pain.

"Will you tell me about it sometime?"

"Of course I will. I even have photographs, but don't worry, there's nothing too graphic though."

"I missed out on so much, his first smile, first tooth, everything."

I felt really sad for him. I couldn't imagine just coming into Josh's life at almost one year old, after missing so much.

"Hey, you know what? When we get home I'm going to get all the photos out and tell you all the stories right up until when you met him. By the time I'm finished, you'll regret even mentioning any of this," I joked lightening the mood.

"It's a date!" Edward smiled.

I bit my lip wishing it really was a date!

"Speaking of dates, are you sure you're okay with my Dad thinking we're still together? I just figured it was safer to let him believe that for a few weeks, and then I'll tell him that we broke up."

I looked across at Edward who was drinking his beer; he had a glassy, far away look in his eye, a look that I couldn't quite decipher.

"I'm fine with it, Bella, please don't worry about that," he said softly while staring at the blank screen of the TV.

"What about tomorrow? Are you okay with that too?"

"What about tomorrow? Do you mean with Charlie taking Josh to the party?" he asked slightly confused turning to look at me.

I nodded and took another swig of beer. "Yeah, I mean the whole point of you being here with us this weekend was so that you wouldn't lose out on time with Josh, and now you're going to lose it anyway."

"I'm fine with it," he shrugged, "I'll still get to spend most of the day with him. It's only the evening that we won't be together, and at least I'll still be able to put him to bed when Charlie brings him home."

"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

Edward grinned and wiggled his eyebrows before bursting into laughter, and he laughed even harder when he noticed just how red I had turned. I reached across and slapped his arm playfully, trying not to let him see the effect his actions were having on me.

"Shh, be quiet," I told him now laughing along. "You're going to wake everyone up."

"Sorry," he said still chuckling away. "I couldn't resist."

"Seriously, Edward," I said shaking my head at the absurdity. "What we will do?"

"Well, we could always do as your Dad suggested. We could go for a walk or something, and we're going to have to eat at some point too!"

"I suppose so," I said finishing off the last of my beer. It was my fourth and I felt slightly lightheaded. "Ha, I should be honored, that's the kind of thing you do on a date. Even when we were together, we never went on a date, Edward, so this will be new!"

_Geez, me and my lack of a verbal filter! What possessed me to say something like that? Oh, yeah, that's right, four bottles of Vitamin R!_

Edward's eyes darkened, and the silence was deafening as I could see his mind whirling at a mile a minute! He had a look of regret on his face and another emotion, one that I could only describe as... longing! No, it couldn't be that, it had to be something else. Maybe the alcohol was getting to his head too!

"I'm sorry, Edward, it was below the belt. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, no, you're right," he said emphatically, "I just never realized that in the time we were together, I never took you on a date once."

I moved closer to him and placed my hand on his arm, "Please don't feel bad, Edward, I wasn't bothered about dates anyway. You know how I feel about being away from Josh, and besides, it's all in the past," I said regretfully. "We can't turn the clock back, so let's just concentrate on the future!"

He removed my hand from his arm and held it in his own, it was comfortable and familiar, almost as though it was the most natural thing in the world. He drew circles on my palm with his thumb; it felt amazing and so right!

"I know that we've moved on, Bella, and that you've found someone else, but I've really enjoyed spending time with you and Josh these last few weeks. I really hope that we can continue being friends."

Tears filled my eyes and I blinked them back repeatedly. Edward continued, "I just want you to know that if anything serious happens between you and Roger, that it won't change anything. I'll always be here for both you and Josh!"

Tears slid down my face and Edward reached up to wipe them away with the pad of his thumb. "I'm sorry if I upset you," he whispered quietly staring into my waterlogged eyes.

"You haven't upset me, Edward," I whispered in return. I really needed to tell him the truth about Roger, but how could I? It was so embarrassing. Never again would I listen to Alice and Rose, that meddling twosome caused me so much trouble. I smiled inwardly at the thought of them! "These are happy tears."

Edward nodded and reached his arms around me pulling me into a hug. I nuzzled my face into his neck and breathed him in, I could happily have stayed like this for the rest of my life.

I decided that I had no option but to come clean about my relationship with "Roger" because no matter how embarrassing it was, Edward deserved to know everything. I pushed myself reluctantly away from Edward's chest and caught sight of my watch, it was far too late to start explaining things now, but at least I could make a start.

"Edward, we really need to talk about Roger," I started. "It's too late now, but maybe tomorrow when Dad takes Josh, we can sit down and talk. There's something you should know!"

Edward looked confused, but had the manners to nod his head in agreement. The look on his face could only be described as pained; he looked as though someone had kicked his puppy. He closed his eyes. "Okay," he mumbled.

Edward's reaction confused me, could he be jealous? Surely not, but what else could explain his reaction? Was it possible that everyone was right all along; could Edward really feel the same way about me as I do about him?


	36. Chapter 35

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 35**

I woke the next morning to the sounds of Josh chattering away in his travel cot. He was obviously talking to his teddy and was completely oblivious to the fact that I was even awake. After a stretch and a yawn, I glanced over at the clock on the bedside table that had seen better days; 6:30am great, even on a weekend break I didn't manage to sleep in.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and waved at Josh who had noticed my movements, "Momma," he called as he stood and held out his arms for me to go get him. I ran my hands through the bird's nest that was currently sitting on top of my head and stumbled still half asleep over to my wide-awake son.

"Good morning, little man," I cooed as I reached over to pick him up. "Where's mommy's good morning kiss?" Josh grinned and gave me an open mouthed slobber straight on the lips. I didn't know whether to smile or grimace as I wiped away the baby drool that was now coating my lips.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," I said as I felt the weight of his diaper nestled between his chunky legs.

After a quick clean up, I dressed him in a pair of board shorts and a t-shirt. He really did look cute and suitably attired for a day at the beach. The weather outside was slightly overcast and although there wasn't a great deal of sunshine, it was extremely humid, quite a rarity for Forks, where most days it consists of rain, rain and even more rain.

I didn't even bother with making myself look presentable as I carried him downstairs still dressed in my sleepwear which consisted of a white vest top and a pair of black cotton sleep shorts.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Dad called as I walked into the kitchen and placed Josh down on the floor. Why did he have to be so cheery first thing in the morning? He was sitting at the table with Edward reading the paper and by the sounds of it, generally chatting about nothing in particular.

"If you're both wide awake, why didn't one of you come and get Josh and let me sleep in?" I grumbled as I walked over to the counter to pour myself some juice.

"Because you needed to be up and ready anyway, Sue's joining us for breakfast before we head off to the beach. She wanted to see you before you go home," Dad said, folding the paper and placing it down on the table.

"That'll be nice. It will be great to see her again."

Dad's face beamed with happiness.

Edward still hadn't spoken a word yet, he was too busy coping with Josh who was now sat on his knee drinking milk from a sippy cup. I did, however, catch him out of the corner of my eye discreetly checking out my legs and ass. I pretended that I hadn't noticed, but inside I was fist pumping. The more I thought about it, the more that I thought that Alice and Rose could be onto something. Could Edward really still have some sort of feelings left for me?

I had known for a long time that I was in love with him. I also knew that he didn't return those feeling, but could he still want me? Maybe over time our friendship could grow and develop into something more. Who knows? But the first obstacle that I had to face was to confess that "Roger" wasn't a person. Just how more embarrassing could it get? When the man you love thinks that you're in a relationship, when in fact this said person is actually a vibrator that he didn't even know existed. Especially since it wasn't my fault that he had jumped to conclusions. He had just heard other people mentioning "Roger" and put two and two together and came up with six; now I have the humiliating task of telling him the truth.

We needed to move forward because whatever IT was that was between us seemed to be getting stronger. Even though I wasn't sure how Edward felt, and regardless of what did or didn't happen between us, we needed to be honest with one another either way. Especially since not telling the whole truth didn't work out so well before.

"I best go and pick up some breakfast. What's everyone having?" Charlie asked as he picked up his car keys. Breakfast from the diner or the bakery was the norm around here.

Shortly after Dad left, Sue arrived, and it was lovely to see her again. Both Edward and I thanked her with a hug for the stew that she had sent over for last night's meal, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed as we all sat around the kitchen table swapping stories and catching up.

Dad came back with bags of breakfast goodies and we all tucked in to hot eggs, bacon, pancakes and blueberry muffins, washed down with a pot of steaming hot coffee that I had made while we were talking.

Josh was a huge hit with Sue and she cooed over him like the grandchild she'd never had. She commented on how much he'd grown since seeing him last at his birthday party. She was equally impressed with his walking skills as he toddled around the kitchen playing with his toys and rifling through dad's cupboards until, eventually, Dad gave him an old saucepan and a wooden spoon for him to bang away on much to our annoyance.

"Thank God for cupboard locks," Edward muttered as he bit down into a muffin.

I couldn't help agree with him. The noise was unbearable, but it didn't seem to faze Charlie and Sue as they sat and watched Josh bang away to his heart's content.

"Bella, remind me never ever to buy him a drum kit no matter how much he asks."

"Don't worry, Edward, if you ever do such a thing, it's staying at your apartment and not mine," I told him as I excused myself from the table to go shower and get dressed.

By midday we were all packed up and ready to go to the beach. Since we had eaten beforehand, we packed just a few light sandwiches and a slice of cake for Edward because he had an obscene sweet tooth.

We said our goodbyes to Sue as she had to get going to help set up for tonight's family gathering. She apologized profusely for not being able to invite Edward and me, but as she explained, it wasn't her party and she had no control over who was and who wasn't invited. It didn't matter how many times Edward and I told her not to worry over it, she still looked embarrassed. Besides, I don't know about Edward, but I didn't mind at all and I was secretly looking forward to spending some time alone with him.

Dad packed an old plastic bucket and spade set that used to be mine when I was a little girl, and I found it quite touching that he'd still kept it after all these years. We transferred Josh's car seat into the back of Dad's cruiser as he'd need it for later, and off we set. Josh and dad were in one car, and Edward and I in the SUV.

I chatted lightly with Edward as we made out way out towards La Push. He looked fantastic in a pair of khaki knee length shorts and a plain white t-shirt. I had opted for a pair of navy blue mid thigh shorts and a navy blue and white striped vest that Alice claimed matched one another perfectly. I teamed it off with an old pair of navy blue converse, and knew she wouldn't be too happy if she could see those, but I couldn't give a damn; this was a day at the beach not a fashion parade.

We pulled up alongside Charlie's cruiser and the moment I opened the car door, the saltiness of the fresh sea air hit me. I took a deep breath in and held it in my lungs for as long as possible.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked looking amused.

"Can't you smell that? It's called nature. Come on, Edward, take a deep breath."

He shook his head with a smirk and made his way over to the cruiser to fetch Josh.

"Shall we walk on a bit and find a section of beach a little less busy?" Dad asked as he slung Josh's changing bag over his shoulder leaving me to get the other, which contained a blanket, towels, bucket and spade and a few other bits and pieces.

"Can do," Edward answered as he placed Josh down and took hold of his hand, "Which way?"

"Follow me," Dad said, "I know just the spot."

We walked along in a convoy, Dad first leading the way, then Edward and Josh who were hand in hand and finally me, dawdling behind.

It was hilarious watching Josh and Edward. Edward had slowed right down taking small baby steps, but Josh still had to move his little legs a mile a minute just to keep up. They were chatting away like two little old men. Edward was pointing things out to Josh and telling him what they were, and Josh would respond in his own little baby babble that no one understood but him. It didn't matter though, they both were enjoying themselves, and it was hard to believe how Edward had said that he had never wanted children, he was a born natural.

"This here will do," Dad called over his shoulder as he cut down a path in the clearing that led us right onto the beach. He was right in bringing us this way as the whole place was deserted, totally different to the beach where we had parked with the cars packed full of families and teenagers.

It was beautiful, the sky was still overcast slightly, but the heat from the humidity just made me want to kick off my shoes and jump straight into the sea. I didn't though, instead I found a nice spot and laid out the overly large blanket. Josh was totally weary of the sand and had difficulty walking on it. It was so funny to watch as we all took a seat on the blanket. Josh would sink up to his ankles in the dry sand and then try walking, which to a baby who has only just learned to walk is a pretty big task. He found himself falling over time and time again, but he didn't let it bother him as he pushed himself back up ready for another try.

After awhile, Josh grew bored, so I picked up the bucket and spade and took him down to the water's edge. He loved splashing around in the tidal puddles and the wet sand made it much easier to walk along. He helped me collect the sand with the spade and pile it into the bucket before we turned it over to reveal our very first sandcastle. He was so excited and bounced up and down on the spot squealing away, calling for dad and Edward to come and see what he'd made.

Edward, being the proud father, snapped away a few photos for posterity before joining in to add more and more sandcastles to the collection. Dad helped Josh dig out a pretty impressive moat around them before Edward carefully took him into the water to fill up the bucket to pour into the moat. It was pretty impressive stuff and by the time we had finished, we had a castle to be proud of. We all took yet more photographs, and Dad actually took a fantastic one of Edward and I sitting behind the castle with Josh nestled between us. For the first time ever we looked like a real family, all three of us had proud grins on our faces and we both insisted that Dad forward it to both our cells. I would print that one out and frame it later!

Before we knew it, four o'clock came around and it was time for Dad and Josh to leave. They both needed to get cleaned up and changed for the party later. Reluctantly, we packed up the bags and made out way back to the cars, loading everything into the trunk of Dad's cruiser. We hugged goodbye and I made him promise to let Josh take a nap before he took him out this evening, otherwise he would have one very cranky little boy on his hands. We stood and waved watching them drive away leaving Edward and me alone.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked awkwardly as I made my way to the trunk of Edward's car to collect my purse.

"Well, since this is your old stomping ground, how about you show me around, and we can take it from there?" Edward said closing the trunk and locking up the car.

We spent the next few hours strolling around the huge market that is open at La Push the first Saturday in every month. We laughed and joked as we stopped off at the various stalls. Edward tried on a Native American feather warbonnet that had nothing to do with the tribe at La Push, but was aimed at tourists nonetheless. He looked ridiculous and I snapped off a photograph as a memento. We even tried to win Josh a gigantic Winnie the Pooh teddy that was almost as big as I was by playing hoopla; we knew that the whole game was a con but played along anyway. Eventually, after wasting over thirty dollars, we called it a day and decided to buy him one instead.

By 6pm we had made our way around the entire market and back again. It had been a fun afternoon and we had smiled and laughed the whole time.

"Where to next?" Edward asked as we locked the bought Winnie the Pooh teddy in the trunk of the SUV. "Are you hungry? We could go and grab a bite to eat."

"Actually, I'm starving, and there's a terrific diner not too far away," I told him pointing down the beach.

"Wouldn't you prefer a nice restaurant? There must be one around here somewhere."

"Edward, I don't think either of us is suitably dressed for a nice restaurant," I said glancing down at our shorts.

"I suppose you have a point," he sounding disappointed. "So what does this diner have to offer? If you say burgers and corn dogs, we're not going!" he chuckled.

"That's the rich-boy snob coming out in you, Edward," I teased. "Besides burgers and corn dogs, they do the most amazing fresh seafood pasta that you'll ever try."

"Well, that sounds like a challenge that remains to be seen, show me the way."

"Great, follow me," I called over my shoulder as I set off down the steps onto the beach only stopping to remove my shoes.

"Bella!" Edward called. "Where the hell are you going?"

"To the diner, this is the quickest way, unless you want to go the long way around which will take an extra twenty minutes or so," I shouted back to him.

Edward shrugged his shoulders and removed his shoes before jogging across the sand to catch up to me.

The sun was starting to set and if this had been a real date, it would have been quite romantic. We walked along the beach for a good fifteen minutes, the shops and waterfront behind us had switched on their lights and they twinkled away in the distance.

"Do you actually know where we're going?" Edward asked as he jumped out of the way of the tidal wash that was threatening to engulf his feet.

"Ye of little faith, of course I know where we're going. It's just a little further. It's where all the locals go, most of the tourists don't even know about this place. It's La Push's best kept secret."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to trust you on that one," he mocked, scrunching up his face.

I gently pushed him and he stumbled sideways into the gentle waves that lapped the shore.

"Bella, I'm soaked now," he moaned ankle deep in water.

"Oh, get over it, you big baby. It's a little water, it won't kill you," I laughed.

"Right, missy, you're getting it now," Edward's eyes widened and he held out his hands pretty much in the same way that I do to Josh when I'm threatening to tickle his belly.

"Don't even think about it, Edward," I warned as I backed away with a smirk on my face.

"Is that a threat?" he asked with a raised brow.

"You bet it is!"

"Well, bring it on!" he laughed as he lunged towards me.

I set off running down the beach laughing; I could hear Edward's footsteps catching up with me, so I did a sharp left turn into the drier sand. That was a mistake as he caught me easily wrapping both his arms around my waist and picking me up with ease and throwing me over his shoulder. I squealed and thrashed my legs around, but Edward never let me go as he carried me to the water's edge laughing.

"Don't even think about it," I giggled as he took several steps into the water until he was shin-deep. He loosened his grip slightly and lowered me down so that I was now looking over his shoulder.

Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck and fastened my legs around his waist, "I'm warning you, Edward, if you throw me in, I'm taking you with me!"

He laughed and lunged forward several times as if to throw me in, I screamed and gripped tighter.

"You're going to burst my ear drum if you carry on screaming," he chuckled as he turned around and carried me back to the shore.

I still had my whole body wrapped around him and my lips were just inches from his neck.

"Um...Bella, you can let go now, you're safely on land,"

"What?"

"I said you can let go?"

I blushed with embarrassment as I lifted my head. I was face-to-face with Edward whose laughter had been replaced with what I could only describe as a look of hunger, our lips we're only inches apart and if I moved my head just a little further forward, I would have felt their softness. I could feel his hot breath fanning across my face and I closed my eyes briefly, breathing all of him in.

"Sorry," I eventually mumbled as I loosened my legs from around him and slid firmly down the contours of his body until my feet touched the ground. I reluctantly let my arms fall from around his neck and it was only when I was steady on my feet that Edward removed his hands from my waist.

We stood uncomfortably for maybe a second or two, but it seemed like so much longer before Edward spoke.

"Come on, let's get that food before we both starve," he said in a cracked voice.

It had now turned almost dark, but thanks to the lights streaming from the houses on the beachfront, we could still see our way. Edward surprised me by taking my hand in his. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Is this okay?" he lifted our entwined hands.

I nodded and returned his smile.

"Come on, it's not much further."

We clambered over a tree which had been swept ashore and walked a little further in a comfortable silence.

"It's just over there," I said pointing to a set of wooden steps that led up from the beach.

We walked slowly over to them before brushing the sand off of our feet and replacing our shoes. Edward stood looking around.

"Where are we?" he asked concerned, "There's nothing here but a few houses."

I smiled up at him and automatically took his hand in mine; it just felt the right thing to do.

"Come on," I said nodding my head towards a dimly lit path. "It's just along here. Trust me, it's worth it."

We walked along the narrow path that led to a mountain of stairs. There must have been at least a hundred steps, and by the time we'd climbed them, we were both out of breath.

"Here we are," I said breathlessly as we reached the top. Edward's eyes widened as he took in the surroundings.

"Bella, this isn't a diner," he whispered in awe.

"Well, technically no, it's a Greek taverna, but all the locals call it a diner because it's so relaxed. Everyone just comes here to chill, there's no formality."

"Wow, this place is amazing, how long have you known about it?" Edward asked still looking around at the colored lights that were strung around the outside pergolas which overlooked the beach and the twinkling lights of La Push.

"It's been here for as long as I can remember. Dad and I used to come every Sunday when he wasn't working. Nikos, the owner, is a family friend. Come on, let's find a seat," I pulled him towards an empty table that looked down onto the bay.

The atmosphere was light, Greek statues were dotted around, and brightly painted pots and baskets hung from every place imaginable filled with red and pink bougainvillea flowers.

The whole place was busy but not packed with what looked like families and high school students, all chatting and munching away on Gyros and other Greek treats.

"So what are you thinking of having?" I asked Edward as he studied the menu.

"They really do have burgers and corn dogs," Edward chuckled.

"See, I told you, they cater for everyone here. That's why the locals see it as a diner rather than a restaurant. It even opens for breakfast in the morning," I smiled across at him.

Greek music played gently in the background.

"Bella... It's good to see you!" Nikos cried as he walked out of the taverna carrying several dishes at once, he stopped off at another table to set them down before making his way over to greet us.

"It's good to see you, Nikos," I said standing to hug him. "It's been too long!"

"It certainly has, I was beginning to think you'd fallen off the face of the earth," he laughed as he held me by the shoulders to take a good look at me. "You've lost weight!" he scolded.

"I know, I know," I said rolling my eyes. "I'm trying to gain it back."

"Well, I'm sure some good Greek food inside you will do you the world of good."

"I'm sure it will," I smiled, "but before we order, let me introduce you to my friend, Edward. He's never been here before, so he's in for some real Nikos treats."

"He certainly is," Nicos grinned as he shook Edward's hand. "You need to eat some real Greek food, none of this corn dog rubbish."

Edward grinned, "What would you recommend? I've heard that the fresh seafood pasta is good."

"Good," Nikos said. "It's the best, but let me tell you a secret," he came in closer and whispered. "It's not Greek," Edward and I both threw our heads back in laughter. "I kid you not, my wife's grandmother came from Italy and that recipe came from her. Now if you want some real Greek food, I would recommend the lamb stifado with lemon potatoes."

"Sounds great," Edward said licking his lips.

"I think I'll have that too. Would you like to share a Greek salad for starters?" I asked.

"Whatever you want."

"It's wonderful, Edward, you'll love it. It's sprinkled with Greek oregano and olive oil; it's to die for."

"Okay, so that's one Greek salad and two lamb stifardo," Edward told Nikos.

"What would you like to drink?" he turned to me.

"I'll just have iced water with lemon please."

"Make that two."

"Anything else?" Nikos asked as he jotted down the order.

"I'm good," I told him "but just wait until Edward sees the desserts."

Nikos laughed as he walked away.

Edward raised a brow

"Trust me, Edward, the desserts here are orgasmic, nothing will ever compare."

Edward's mouth dropped open as my face paled..._Why do I say these things?_

Thankfully, my embarrassment was short lived as Nikos brought out fresh bread and black olive tapenade as an appetizer along with our drinks.

"This is amazing. I actually wish I wasn't driving, and we could have shared a bottle of wine," Edward said as he tore apart another piece of bread and smothered it with the tapenade.

"Careful," I joked. "This is beginning to sound like a real date."

Edward gave me a tight lipped smile, but didn't say a word, instead choosing to pop the bread into his mouth.

By the time we had eaten our starter and the main course, I was stuffed.

"I couldn't eat another thing," I told Edward as I sat back and rubbed my stomach. My appetite had pretty much returned to normal, but my stomach had shrunk so much that I couldn't eat anywhere near the amount that I could have previously.

"That was the best meal I've had in a long time," Edward smiled happily. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"It's my pleasure," I took a long sip of my iced water. "Do you have room for dessert? I highly recommend the baklava," I teased.

Edward's eyes lit up. "I haven't had that in years," he said.

Nikos came and cleared away our plates accepting Edward's gratitude with a beaming smile. He returned shortly afterwards with the biggest piece of baklava I had ever seen.

"Wow, that's big!"

"You said that once before," Edward joked with a wiggle of his eyebrows causing me to go bright red.

"I love it when you blush," he laughed. "Here, have some." He picked up a forkful of his dessert and held it out for me to try.

Two could play that game; I opened my mouth wide and wrapped my lips around the fork moaning loudly as the delicious taste of walnuts and cinnamon invaded my mouth. A small amount of honey ran down my chin as I slowly slid my mouth from the fork and cleaned it away with my tongue...Where had this bold and brash Bella come from? I didn't know but I found it highly amusing as I watched Edward squirm in his seat, his eyes never leaving my mouth!

I sat back, self satisfied as Edward pulled himself together.

"You did that on purpose!" he croaked.

"So did you."

"Touché," he smirked, picking up his fork and polishing off his dessert.

He sat back full. "So, are we ever going to get around to discussing the events of last night?"

"What about it?" I cringed knowing full well what Edward was referring to.

"You said that you had something to tell me...About Roger."

I placed my elbows on the table and rubbed my face with the palms of my hands with nervous embarrassment.

"I do, just not here, okay?"

Edward looked confused, but acknowledged my answer with a nod of his head.

"Where then?" he asked

"On the walk back, it's dark and you won't be able to see my face."

Edward scrunched up his face clearly not understanding my meaning, "Well, let's get going then."

We threw back the complimentary drink of ouzo that Nikos had brought along with Edward's dessert. It gave me Dutch courage if nothing else, and we were on our way once we had finished arguing over who was picking up the bill. Edward had won though. We said our goodbyes and made our way back towards the beach.

**A/N**

**Because this part of the story was so long I decided to split it into two chapters and post them both together. Also, you don't need me to tell you that the market and taverna are not real…Well actually the tavern is real it's just not in La Push. I pulled that one from my memories of a holiday on the Greek island of Thassos. **

**Anyway, click the next button. **


	37. Chapter 36

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 36**

We removed our shoes and climbed down the wooden steps until our feet hit the cool, fine sand. It was now pitch black outside, and the only light we had was the dim glow coming from the porches of houses scattered along the beach. The moon occasionally broke through the gaps in the clouds casting an eerie shadow across the water, and between the two, it was just enough to see where we were heading.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked as we made our way across the beach to the firmer sand of the water's edge.

"I'm fine. I know I said I would explain about Roger and I will, but I need to get a few things straight in my head. I'm just not sure where to begin, that's all."

We carried on walking for several minutes in silence as I thought about what I was going to say.

"Can we sit for a while? I need to tell you the whole story before you jump to your own conclusions," I asked gently taking his hand in mine and leading him back over the dry sand to a washed up tree. "This will do," I said as I gently pulled him down onto the sand beside me.

We leaned our backs against the tree and looked out over the rippling waves of the North Pacific Ocean. The sound was soothing as I drew my knees up to my chest and listened intently to the sounds of the wash hitting the shore.

I glanced across at Edward to find him running handfuls of dried sand between his fingers while he looked as if he was deep in thought.

"This is all such a mess," I muttered to myself as I put my head back against the tree and looked at the dark clouded sky.

Edward stopped what he was doing, "Why don't you just tell me, Bella? Something's obviously wrong, otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here now. If everything was fine, you would have just told me and got it over and done with."

"Nothing's wrong, Edward, it's just... embarrassing, that's all."

"Now you really have me confused!"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just...,"

"Embarrassing, yeah, you already said that."

I couldn't help the small smirk that crossed my lips, and I playfully hit his arm. I took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm going to tell you, but you have to listen and not interrupt."

"I can't promise, but I'll do my best. Whatever it is, I still want us to be friends, okay?"

I smiled at him, "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"I'm a sweet guy," he shrugged, which instantly broke the tension as we looked at one another and laughed.

"Okay," I started. "Well, the whole Roger thing started off years ago. It was a thing between Alice, Rose, Angela, and myself. Jake knew too, but Jake doesn't count as he's just an interfering pain in the ass." I smiled at the thought of Jake, I missed him so much. "Anyway, it's become the norm since that time for us to 'go and see Roger' when any of us were... shall we say, single?"

Edward's brow furrowed in confusion. The light was dim but I could still see the creases in his forehead as he tried to comprehend what I was trying to tell him.

"Are you telling me that the four of you were seeing the same guy?" he asked shocked.

I chuckled slightly, "No, Edward, that's not what I'm saying."

"Well, I'm not following!"

"Look, if you let me carry on, I'm trying to explain," I said as I took another deep breath. "Between the five of us, Roger became a part of everyday conversation that none of us thought anything about. That was until the day Jake and I bumped into you at the restaurant, and he mentioned that I'd been in a relationship with Roger for a while. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember that. I've never seen you blush as much," Edward said.

_Oh, if only he could see how much I was blushing now!_

"Anyway, after Jake told the girls what he'd said at the restaurant, they all found it hilarious and kept referring to my 'dates' with Roger. It didn't help when one night Emmett wanted to call and see me, but Rose gave some snide comment about how it was late and that I would probably be on a hot date. That put the idea in Emmett's head that I really was seeing someone called Roger, and that's how you heard more about it!"

Edward nodded his head, "I'm following what you're saying, but I'm still confused as to who this Roger actually is."

I groaned and took several deep breaths before plucking up the courage. "It's not who Roger is, Edward, it's _what _he is."

I chanced a glance across at him. He still looked confused, but understanding dawned on him as the final piece of the puzzle finally fell into place, a huge grin crossed his face.

"You mean..."

"Yes, Edward," I whispered. "Roger is my, um... vibrator!" I was mortified as I hid my face into my drawn up knees.

Edward laughed, really laughed. "Well, I'll be damned," he said between sniggers as he finally calmed down. "That's hot! You do realize that, don't you?"

I was still hiding my face, but managed to whip my arm out and smack Edward in the stomach.

"Ouch, that hurt!"

"I'm sorry," I said whipping my head up to check that he was okay. He wasn't hurt at all, and he was looking at me with a smirk still on his face.

"Why do you call it Roger?"

"Oh, God," I groaned, "Because it's a rabbit vibrator. We all have one, and we all gave them the same name. It kind of fit, you know, Roger Rabbit!" I turned my face away from him.

"You really are embarrassed, aren't you?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I'm embarrassed, if it wasn't for Jake and that meddling twosome that I call friends, I would never have had to admit it, and you would have been none the wiser."

"Why does it mater what I think?" he asked cautiously.

"Because it just does..."

He moved slightly closer and picked up my hand in his placing them together in his lap. His face twisted in thought.

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned.

"It's nothing," he said at first, not sounding very convincing. "Well, actually it is...Do you remember on Wednesday when I saw you outside the coffee shop?"

"When I ruined your shirt, you mean?"

Edward chuckled, "I wasn't mad over the shirt, Bella. I saw you hug and kiss a guy, and I know it was only on the cheek but I thought that was Roger."

"You're kidding me, right?" I asked surprised.

"No," Edward's face fell and he shook his head. "Who was he? I saw you both come out of the jewelry store, Bella!"

"Edward, that was Leah's boyfriend, Embry. We just bumped into one another. I helped him decide on a gift for Leah's birthday, that's all."

Edward's face suddenly relaxed. "So, you're not seeing anyone?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head.

"Has there been anyone else since we..."

I interrupted him, "There's only ever been you, and one person before you." I looked down at our entwined hands, they fit so beautifully together.

"What about you? Have you met anyone else?" I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to hear the answer, but while we were getting everything out in the open, I felt I needed to know just so that I could move on.

Edward's grip on my hand tightened.

"You know that before I met you I was a player?"

"I know," I said softly. Did I even want to hear any of this? Probably not, but I knew that I needed to hear all of it anyway.

"I had tried to have a relationship with Lauren, but to be perfectly honest, I didn't even like her. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could be faithful to one person, but even that didn't work. Then I met you, and after that I couldn't even bring myself to be near Lauren. I know that I've told you this before, but that day when you walked in on us at the office, nothing happened. After you left, I pushed her away and ended things there and then. I felt in some weird kind of way as though I had cheated on you even though there was nothing between us at that point. I was confused and didn't know what I wanted. Then you and I got together and everything just felt so right, so natural, it felt like I belonged with you."

"I felt the same," I whispered, not daring to look at him.

He took a deep breath. "After I found out that you knew about Josh, I just felt so betrayed, angry that you had kept something like that from me. I had developed such strong feelings for you in such a short amount of time that it all felt like a kick in the teeth. I tried to move on, I even went to a bar one night with the sole intention of getting laid."

"Edward, you don't need to tell me all of this. It's okay," I croaked, except it wasn't okay. I felt my eyes fill up with tears, and I was thankful that it was dark and he couldn't see.

"Please, Bella, let me finish," he whispered softly.

I nodded my head for him to continue as he started drawing patterns on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Like I said, I went to a bar one night with the sole intention of getting laid. I got chatting to some woman, I don't even remember her name. We danced, shared a couple of drinks, but there was nothing there. I just couldn't do it. I gave her money for the cab fare home, and I went home alone... She wasn't you, Bella!"

My breath hitched. I looked up at him tenderly as he brought up his free hand and cupped my cheek, running the pad of his thumb underneath my eyes, wiping away the tears.

"There's no-one else, Bella, it was always you!"

He moved closer and placed his forehead against mine.

"Don't cry," he whispered his lips just inches away from mine. "I never want to be the one to make you cry ever again. I'm so, so sorry that I hurt you!"

My face felt wet and it was only after a few short moments that I realized tears were falling down my face, except they weren't my tears, they were Edward's. I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my arms tightly around him burrowing my face into his neck.

I could feel his pulse against my lips. "I've missed you so much, Edward," I whispered.

He shivered and enveloped me with his arms holding me tighter than I had ever been held in my life, "I've missed you too, Bella!"

We sat in each other's arms without words. There was no sound at all other than our shallow breathing and the calming sound of the ocean.

"Are you okay?" I eventually asked breaking the silence.

"Yes, are you?" he choked.

"I am now," I breathed into his neck.

I felt Edward smile as he turned his head slightly and kissed my temple.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked never wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of his arms.

Edward contemplated, "Well, while we're here and we have no distractions, why don't we just get everything out, clear the air, and make a fresh start?"

I pushed away from him slightly looking into his eyes, "What else would you like to talk about?" I was slightly worried. Had I misread the signals that Edward had given off? Was I mistaken in thinking that he still had feelings for me?

Edward must have sensed my panic as he placed his hand gently on the back of my head and pulled me back towards him resting my head on his shoulder.

"Nothing to worry about," he kissed the top of my head. "I just thought that if there was anything to share, we should do it now."

"Like what?" I asked still slightly concerned. "Is there something I should know?"

I felt Edward's shoulders move as he made himself more comfortable. "Not at all. It's just that after we had the argument on the day of the DNA results, Dad came to see me. He told me how he and mom visited you at home. He mentioned how you had left your laptop open and saw that you had been applying for alternate jobs."

"That's true," I confirmed. "Although I wasn't positive that Carlisle had noticed."

"Yes, well, apparently he did. He gave me hell, and it was only then that I realized how much of a bastard I had been. After a few weeks though, you seemed to move on, as though it was all a game and you'd just cast me aside. I felt insignificant, and I didn't like it. I know that I behaved like a spoiled brat, and there's no excusing my behavior!"

"I didn't move on, Edward, I never moved on." I snuggled further into him. "If I tell you what really happened, you promise that you won't blame yourself?"

"I can't promise that, Bella!" he said firmly.

"Yes, you can, Edward, because once it's all out in the open, we can both put an end to it and move forward."

He contemplated my words, "Okay, I'm ready to listen."

I pushed myself away from him so that we had no distractions and got myself comfortable. We were now facing one another, legs crossed and holding hands for reassurance.

"I might as well start at the beginning, some of it I will have already told you, but there are other things that you won't be aware of."

I don't know how long we had been sitting in the sand talking, but it did us both the world of good. I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I told Edward everything, starting with how I had become so heartbroken that I couldn't face food. He was genuinely shocked when I explained to him about just how much weight I had previously lost, even though I had now gained some of it back.

He shook his head and chuckled when I told him about the girls and 'Operation Edward'. Even though their plan failed miserably, he was relieved when I told him that his brothers had absolutely no idea of the extent of their meddling.

But most of all he looked pained when I told him that I was so hurt and upset that I had to wear 'the mask' just to see me through any time that I spent with him. That mask was my savior and saw me through the darkest days. Without it, there was no doubt in my mind that I would have become seriously ill at some point.

I explained all about how I had been applying for new jobs, and even though so far I hadn't secured any interviews, I no longer had any interest in leaving Cullen International.

Everything came pouring out and the only thing that I held back was the fact that Carlisle had offered me Victoria's job when she left, but that wasn't my secret to tell and really had nothing to do with our relationship anyway.

Edward shared with me the fact that he wished he'd never walked away, but he was too hurt and stubborn to do anything about it once he had. He was absolutely devastated to think that I had gotten over it and moved on with 'Roger.' So much so that he admitted that he'd been drinking quite heavily. He was convinced that the alcohol was partially to blame not only for his paranoia, but some of his mood swings. He also told me that from the time we sorted things out back at Esme and Carlisle's house, he'd pulled himself together and stopped getting drunk, something that I was extremely thankful to hear.

I told him how jealous I had been when I thought he was seeing Chris Cooper, and he laughed his ass off when I told him that I had nicknamed her Little Miss Goddess. He confirmed what I already knew, that yes, there had once been something casual between them, but not anymore.

We laughed, we joked, we confessed and we cried, but more than anything else, we connected more than we had ever done before. If there was ever any doubt, there certainly wasn't now... I loved Edward Cullen with every single part of me.

We chatted away for the rest of the night, just holding hands and listening intently to what one another had to say. We were only brought out of our bubble when the sound of YMCA shrilled through the air.

"What the...?" Edward said with a surprised look on his face.

"It's Charlie," I interrupted him as I dug through my purse trying to find my phone.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when I finally hung up.

"Yeah, everything's good. He was just calling to tell us that Josh is fast asleep tucked up in bed."

"I thought we we're putting him to bed?" Edward sulked pulling the same face as Josh does when he doesn't get his own way either.

"Well, we were, but I don't think either of us realized the time. It's almost midnight."

"You're kidding?" Edward said looking at his watch before jumping to his feet. "I thought we'd only been out here for an hour or so." He held out his hand to help me up, which I took instantly.

"We must have been sitting here for a good three hours," I commented,

"At least! Come on," Edward winked. "Let's get back to our son."

We strolled along casually hand-in-hand.

"Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why have you got YMCA as Charlie's ringtone?"

"Have you seen him in his uniform?"

Edward shook his head.

"He looks like the cop from the Village People with his porn star moustache."

We both had a good giggle at that, "Can I ask you something else?" Edward said uncertaintanty in his voice as we reached the SUV. He opened the passenger door for me like a gentleman.

"Sure."

"When we get back to Seattle, could I take you out on a date?" he actually looked shy as he did his tell tale sign of nervousness by running his hands through his hair.

"Isn't this kind of a date?"

"Sort of," he said with unease, "but it wasn't a proper one. I want to show the whole world that you're mine, Bella."

I gasped and stumbled slightly at his words. If it wasn't for the fact that the car was holding me up, I would have fallen flat on my back. Did he really mean it? Was I really his?

"Is that what I am, Edward? Yours?"

He took a step closer effectively pinning me against the frame of the car. His hand came up and cradled the back of my head as the other one snaked around my waist.

"Bella, you have been mine ever since that first night in Vegas," he said as he lowered his head towards mine. "May I?" he whispered as he gently lowered his lips to mine**. **

Edward had always been so controlled and domineering in our relationship. It was only before we broke up that I began to see a softer side to him, a side that I loved more that anything. Underneath his tough guy corporate exterior, Edward was an insecure and passionate man.

His lips were soft and smooth as they moulded with mine, there was no deep wanton passion in this kiss; it was one that that spoke of tenderness and belonging. He broke the kiss before it could go any further and brought his forehead to rest on mine.

We both caught our breaths. That was hands down the single, most romantic kiss I had ever encountered.

"You didn't answer my question," Edward said quietly.

"What question?" I was still flabbergasted over the intensity of our kiss.

"Bella, may I take you out on a date?"

I smiled at him and delicately ran my hand down the side of his face.

"There's nothing I'd like more."

**A/N**

**Well, there you have it. The truth is out… **

**Now, about that date… Can anyone guess where Edward will take her? It's already written by the way so I can't change things LOL.**


	38. Chapter 37

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 37**

The next morning I awoke early to find Josh still fast asleep in the travel cot. It gave me a chance to run through my mind all the happenings of the night before.

I was still in shock to realize that Edward really did want me. People had told me over and over again that he still had feelings for me, but I wouldn't allow myself to believe it was true. We had sat down and told one another everything. Everything except just how deep my feelings ran for him. I loved him with every bone in my body, but I wasn't ready to tell him that just yet. The last thing that I needed to do was to scare him off.

Edward had admitted in a roundabout way that he also had feelings for me, how deep they ran only he knew. Could he perhaps love me too? Maybe he could grow to love me! We certainly had a lot to learn about one another. Even though we already had a child together, we still knew very little about each other. So far, eighty percent of our time together had been spent fighting. Now it was time for us both to act like the adults that we are and start afresh like any normal couple.

Dad had gone to bed by the time Edward and I had arrived home last night, not surprising really as it was almost half past midnight before we rolled through the door. We made sure that we were quiet as we sat on the sofa holding hands and talking. Nothing happened sexually, other than a long lingering kiss, before I finally climbed the stairs to bed leaving Edward alone on the sofa.

I decided to have a quick shower before Josh woke up and quietly got my things together and tip- toed out of the room. I could hear movements downstairs, but I wasn't sure on whether it was Edward, dad or both. I quickly washed my hair and body and felt refreshed almost immediately. Standing back I took a long hard look at my body in the full-length mirror before getting dressed, and I thanked my lucky stars that nothing sexual had happened between Edward and I. If he saw just how much weight I had lost, he would only end up blaming himself. I had gained some of it back and was starting to look much better than I previously had; but I was still far too thin for my own liking, let alone anyone else's.

Josh was stirring when I returned into the bedroom, and I left him to wake up properly before picking him up for our good morning kiss and cuddle. I made quick work of cleaning him up and getting him dressed for the day before packing up our belongings and taking him downstairs.

Edward was sitting alone at the kitchen table reading the morning paper when we walked in the room. I was surprised to find him in the shorts that he had worn yesterday and no shirt, which actually pleased me no end.

"See something you like?" he said flexing his chest and smiling before rising up to give Josh and I a kiss. "I saw you checking me out," he whispered as his lips rested on mine a little longer than was necessary, not that I was complaining.

"Break it up, lovebirds," Dad joked as he walked into the kitchen. I was a little embarrassed having being caught kissing by my father, although I soon realized that to Charlie this was nothing unexpected. As far as he was concerned, Edward and I had been a couple for a while now.

"Why are you in yesterday's clothes?" I asked Edward as he took Josh from my arms so that I could prepare breakfast.

"We got in so late last night that I forgot to get any clean clothes from your room. I didn't want to disturb either of you, so I figured I'd wait until you got up to shower and change," he said placing Josh down on the floor to play with his toys.

"Have you finished with this?" Dad asked as he picked up the paper that Edward had been reading.

"Yes, thanks. I'm going to shower if that's okay?"

"Sure, Son, help yourself to whatever you need."

Edward walked up behind me at the counter where I was preparing the batter for pancakes and snaked his arms around my waist, giving me a gentle kiss on the pulse point of my neck; automatically I leaned back into him.

"Breakfast won't be long," I said mindful that Charlie was still in the room.

I could feel his lips on my neck pulling up into a grin. "Okay," he pushed himself away from me giving my hip a gentle squeeze. "I won't be long."

"You two seem to be getting along well," Dad commented over the paper once Edward had climbed the stairs. "You're good together. I guess date night was a success?"

"Date night WAS a success," I smiled over my shoulder at him. "We had fun."

"Glad to hear it!"

Charlie was a man of few words and I was glad of that because the last thing I needed right now was the Spanish Inquisition!

Sue joined us again for breakfast and it seemed like she and my dad were getting very close. I was glad that he finally had someone in his life he could have companionship with, and I was positive in my own mind that Sue had fallen in love with Charlie. I noticed the way she looked at him, and it was the same way that I looked at Edward. I was pretty sure that Charlie felt the same way about her too, if only I could read Edward so easily.

We packed up our belongings and said a tearful goodbye. I always hated saying goodbye to Charlie, but this time I felt much better knowing that I was leaving him in Sue's capable hands. At least I knew he'd be eating properly if nothing else, and I had a strong suspicion that Sue spent far more time at Charlie's house than either of them were letting on!

Almost five hours later, we pulled up outside my apartment block, tired but happy. We could have been here much sooner, but Josh showed off hungry for lunch, so we stopped to eat and stretch our legs.

"That's everything put away," Edward called from Josh's room while I made a pot of coffee in the kitchen. Josh was toddling around the apartment looking for mischief.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of today?" Edward asked as he came into the kitchen and took the mug of steaming hot coffee that I offered him.

"Well... I have the exciting task of doing this weekend's laundry, and I need to get some meals cooked and frozen for Josh." It was so much easier now that I didn't have to blend up Josh's food anymore. I could just make myself a meal with smaller portions for Josh, which I could put in the freezer for Leah to give him during the week.

"Wow, you have an exciting afternoon ahead of you," Edward grinned as I whacked him with a tea towel.

"What about you?"

"I have a desk full of work that I need to catch up on," he said solemnly.

"That's a shame. You could have stayed for dinner; I have steak that needs eating!" I tried tempting him.

Edward groaned, "I'd love to, but I really need to get some work done before I have Carlisle breathing down my neck."

"Forever the CEO," I nodded my head in understanding.

"It comes with the territory I'm afraid. Being a Cullen does have its drawbacks, as well as its advantages," he said looking across the room at Josh who had found his fire truck.

He placed his coffee back down on the counter. "Come here!" he opened his arms for me to snuggle into.

"I'm so glad this weekend worked out," he spoke into my hair as I wrapped my arms around him and buried my head into his chest.

"Me too," I tightened my grip around his waist bringing him even closer. "I've missed you," I said as I looked up at him.

He brought his hand up and delicately ran his finger across my cheekbone and down my jaw line making me shiver. "I've missed you too."

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips softly to his, opening them slightly until both our lips danced gently together in perfect sync. There was no eagerness and no rush; this was about the two of us reconnecting.

Reluctantly, we both parted yet remained in each other's arms. "When can I see you again?" Edward asked as he peppered my hair in soft kisses.

"Whenever you want," I whispered. Although neither of us said the words, we both knew that we needed to take baby steps with one another, the way that it should have been the first time around.

"I'm out of the office all day tomorrow," he said still peppering me with kisses, "But how about we share lunch in the cafeteria on Tuesday?"

"Sounds perfect," I raised my head giving him a simple chaste kiss on the lips. "You still owe me a date as well, remember?" I raised my brow and smirked.

"Don't worry about that," he winked. "I have something in mind."

"Really! Like what?"

"Never you mind, just leave it with me. I'll get everything sorted."

I raised my eyes with a puppy-dog look and pouted.

"That won't work, Bella," Edward laughed at my feeble attempt to get some information out of him.

"You're no fun," I said playfully pushing him away and picking up my now lukewarm coffee. I cringed as it touched my lips and poured it down the sink.

"Josh, tell daddy he's no fun," I called across the room to him.

"Dadadee," Josh grinned looking at Edward who just laughed.

"See, even Josh agrees," I joked.

Edward walked over to Josh scooping him up and tickling him, and in return Josh kicked his legs, squirming and squealing with laughter in Edward's arms. "See, that will teach you for siding with your mother," he joked. "Daddy's got to go now. Are you going to give me a kiss?" Edward asked Josh who had now calmed down.

A few minutes later, after Edward had received his kiss from both Josh and I, we reluctantly stood at the door waving him goodbye. As Edward walked out of view, I couldn't help but beam with happiness at just how perfect this weekend had turned out.

"Come on, spill," Alice demanded as she and Rose walked through the door uninvited later that evening.

"Can't I just get five minutes peace and quiet without being disturbed?" I asked uncurling myself from the sofa and placing the magazine I was reading on the coffee table.

"Don't blame me," Rose defended herself. "It was Miss Marple here who decided you needed interrogating," she said pointing to Alice.

"Who invited you over anyway? You could have called and asked first." I sighed.

"You would have said no, and anyway, who needs an invitation when you have a key?" Alice said smugly as she sat herself down beside me dangling the key to my apartment in front of my face.

"So come on," Alice encouraged getting impatient. "We're waiting."

Rose took a seat on the floor, probably for prime position. She couldn't fool me, she was as eager for information as what Alice was.

"Fine, but no interrupting," I grumbled, warning them both.

"Oh, my God," Alice squealed bouncing up and down on the sofa beside me, once I had finished retelling the events from the whole weekend.

"So that's everything?" Rose asked.

"Everything," I repeated.

"So, no more mask?"

"Nope, no more mask, and no more interfering from you two either," I said giving them both a pointed look.

"We never interfered in the first place," Alice said taken aback.

"Maybe we did just a little bit," Rose said as she made her way into the kitchen and poured us all a juice. "But perhaps you both needed it."

"Perhaps," I conceded with a nod of the head.

"I can't believe you actually confessed about Roger," Alice giggled as Rose handed her a drink.

"Well, I wouldn't have needed to if SOMEONE," I pointedly looked at Rose, "could have kept her mouth shut."

"Hey, don't blame me! It was Jake who started it," Rose answered.

"He certainly has a lot to answer for when he shows up here for a few days, causes havoc, and walks away," I chuckled. "I love that guy."

Alice and Rose nodded in agreement.

"To Jake," we all raised our glasses and clinked them together.

Soon it was Tuesday, and I had spent most of the previous evening baking a birthday cake for Leah and decorating the living area with banners and balloons. I knew she wasn't one for fuss, but I couldn't let the day pass without making an effort. She had done a lot for me these last few months. She had stayed late at short notice, been a confidant and a shoulder to cry on, as well as doing little things that I had not even asked her to do, such as bits of laundry and fetching things from the grocery store when she noticed we were running low. Besides employing her to look after Josh, she had also become a friend, and this was just one small way of thanking her for her kindness.

"Happy Birthday," I cried out as she walked though the door jumping in surprise. She looked genuinely shocked as she brought her hands up clutching her chest as she took in the surroundings.

"You've done all of this for me?" she gasped.

"You didn't really think we'd let this day go unmarked did you?" I asked smiling as Josh climbed up into Leah's awaiting arms, and she gave him a kiss.

"I don't know what to say," she said, still visibly stunned as she walked over to the kitchen counter and looked at the birthday cake with one solitary candle burning away on the top of it.

"I forgot to buy candles," I confessed. "I only had the one that we used on Josh's cake, so I figured that would do. Besides, who needs a reminder of how old they are anyway?" I chuckled.

"Oh, Bella, it's perfect. Thank you so much," she gushed as she blew out the candle and made a wish.

I took Josh from her arms before handing her a neatly wrapped gift, "I hope you like it."

She smiled widely as she slid her finger underneath the tape holding the paper together before peeling it back, revealing the purse that I knew she had been wanting for a while.

She did a quick intake of breath before throwing her arms around me, "Thank you so much! How did you know this is what I wanted?"

"That would be telling, but I have my means," I said tapping the side of my nose smiling.

"So, what plans do you have for today?" I asked as I put on my jacket. It was almost time for me to leave for work.

"Well, Josh and I have a date at the park," she said bending down and tickling him under his chin. Josh giggled and threw himself at her legs wanting to be picked up. "And Embry's taking me out for dinner tonight," she beamed. "I'm not even sure how he knows it's my birthday. Maybe SOMEONE mentioned it to him when they bumped into him the other day!" She raised her eyebrow looking at me pointedly.

I shrugged, "I haven't got a clue what you're talking about." I tried to act nonchalant, but it really didn't work, and we both ended up laughing. I gave Josh a kiss and wished Leah a Happy Birthday once more before leaving to find a cab.

"Bella!" Mike called for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Did you write up the Swindon report?"

"It's already on your desk," I replied without looking up.

"Oh, right, thanks, and what about the meeting that I asked you to arrange?"

"All the details are on your desk, Mike, just like you asked." I was exasperated with him this morning and as he left the office, I let out a huge sigh of relief and slouched back in my chair. Checking my watch, I saw it was still only 11.30. I had an hour and a half before I was meeting Edward for lunch. That thought alone put a smile on my face as I once again buried my head back in the mountain of files that currently filled my desk.

"Penny for your thoughts!" Edward said as he bent down and planted a kiss on my lips bringing me out of my musings. I had already helped myself to a ham and cheese salad from the cafeteria salad bar, as he placed his lunch on the table and took a seat opposite me, removing his knife and fork from the inside the paper napkin.

I smiled up at him, "Sorry, I was miles away."

"Tough morning?" he asked tucking into his chili and rice leaving a little sauce lingering at the corner of his mouth. As his tongue snaked out and wiped it clean away, my girly parts clenched at the memory of just what that tongue was capable of.

"You could say that. Mike has been driving me insane; Bella, where's this report? Bella, where's that file? Bella, have you made my appointments?" I mimicked.

Edward chuckled and took my hand across the table while he was still eating chili and rice with his fork in the other, and the sight of it made me smile. I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze just to make sure it was all real and not some figment of my imagination.

"So, it's Wednesday tomorrow; what plans do you have with Josh?" I asked curiously.

"Well, actually, I was going to talk to you about that. We'll just be hanging around my apartment doing nothing in particular, and I wondered if you'd like to join us. You still haven't seen his playroom, and his bedroom is almost finished, so you could see that too," he said expectantly.

I thought about it for a while, "I'd love to, but maybe another day. I have so much that needs doing at home, plus that's yours and Josh's bonding time; you need that time together alone."

Edward looked visibly crushed.

"Hey, I'm not saying 'never', just not tomorrow," I put down my fork and held his hand in both of mine. "You could always stay a while longer after you've brought Josh home and we've put him to bed," I wiggled my eyebrows for effect, making him smile.

"I'd like that," he wiggled his eyebrows back at me causing me to laugh. "Besides, I have a proposition for you!"

"Sounds ominous!" I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, "Do I really seem like the type of girl you could proposition, Mr. Cullen?"

"Most definitely Miss Swan!"

Wednesday evening came around so quickly, it had been a busy day. Leah had arrived that morning gushing over how Embry had taken her to dinner and had presented her with the jewelry that I had helped him pick out. She adored it and vowed only to wear it on special occasions. She finished by saying they had taken a stroll along the waterfront afterwards. It all sounded quite romantic, and I couldn't help but wonder what Edward had in store for our date.

Mike still hadn't let up at work and he cracked the whip even harder today. I had spent the whole day, including my lunch hour, with my head stuck in the Cooper, Whyat and Greene file. That account really would be the death of me, but the good news was it had brought in so much work that at least seven new jobs had been created. Victoria had phoned down at lunchtime to tell me she was actually getting married in two weeks time. She had decided since it was such short notice, she would forego a bachelorette party and just have a few quiet drinks after work with the girls instead. She told me she would give my wedding invitation to Edward, considering that it had both our names on it. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my name being alongside Edward's.

After work was finished for the day, I arrived home and made myself a bite to eat before getting started cleaning. Not that the apartment was dirty, but I just found it so much easier to get everything done while Josh wasn't here. I vacuumed the whole apartment, dusted, washed down all the woodwork, cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom and changed the bedding on both beds. All of that was after I had cleaned the oven, which really is the worst job in the whole world. I was exhausted, physically and mentally!

Checking my watch I realized I still had almost an hour before Josh and Edward arrived home. That gave me just enough time to have a soak in the bath, rather than a quick shower. I hurriedly wrapped my hair up into a tight bun so that it wouldn't get wet, and slid into the hot water complete with my favourite bath oil. I instantly relaxed, leaning my head back. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and the next thing I knew, there was incessant banging on the door.

"Hang on!" I called as I jumped out of the now cool water, pulling out the plug and wrapping my dressing gown tightly around my body.

"Is everything okay?" Edward asked concerned as I flung open the door.

"Yeah, sorry, I was in the bath. I must have fallen asleep."

"You look exhausted," he commented as he lowered his head and kissed my lips. It didn't escape my notice how his eyes raked over my robe-clad body.

"It looks like I'm not the only one," I said as I pointed to a softly snoring Josh, who was asleep against Edward's shoulder.

"He fell asleep in the car, but he's only been out about ten minutes. What do you want to do? Wake him up or put him straight to bed?"

"Let's just change his diaper and put his pj's on. If he wakes up, we can bath him, and if he stays asleep, we can just put him to bed."

"Okay," Edward handed me the changing bag that was over his arm. "Shall I just take him to his room?"

"That'd be great. Actually, would you mind making a start while I go and put some clothes on?"

Edward pursed his lips as if he was about to say something, then shook his head like he'd changed his mind.

I sniggered to myself knowing exactly what was running through his mind as I walked off towards the bedroom. Edward followed close behind and went into Josh's.

After sliping into my underwear, I opted for a casual pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Alice would throw a fit if she could see me now, but I didn't particularly care. Edward took me as he found me, and I was past pretending to be someone that I wasn't. The mask had been put firmly away and this was me, this is who I am.

I popped my head around Josh's bedroom door just as Edward was placing him down for the night. I never could get enough of seeing Edward and Josh together. They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and it was obvious for all to see that the bond between them was unbreakable.

"He didn't wake up then?" I whispered, leaning over to place a kiss on Josh's forehead before tucking him in.

"He's out for the count, never even stirred when I was getting him changed," he said, running his hand up and down my spine as I leaned over tucking in the covers.

"Come on," he quietly took my hand and led me out of the bedroom closing the door behind us.

He pulled me along the small corridor into the living area taking a seat on the sofa before bringing me down beside him. I automatically snuggled up into him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He took one of my hands in his and placed the other one around me running it slowly up and down my side.

"I've missed this," I told him as I curled my legs up underneath me.

"Me too, I can't believe I was so stubborn to have throw it all away in the first place...Thank you for giving me another chance."

"You weren't the only one to act like a fool, Edward. If I'd have just told you everything from the start, it wouldn't have happened."

"It probably would have," he admitted, shifting his weight slightly to get more comfortable bringing me further into him at the same time. "I would have freaked out anyway. I've done a lot of thinking over the last few weeks, Bella. I behaved like a spoiled child and threw away one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I made that mistake once, and I'm not going to let it happen again. This is it for me now. You and Josh mean the world to me, and I promise to never run away from you ever again."

I raised my head from his chest, his face was full of sincerity and his eyes full of emotion. There was no doubt in my mind that he was telling me the truth. I placed my lips delicately on his and ran my hand along the stubble of his jaw line, "I'll never run away from you either." I kissed him once more and felt his lips curl into a smile before I settled back down and snuggled against his chest.

We sat for a good hour just talking about nothing in particular, holding one another and never wanting to let go.

"So anyway, what plans do you have for Friday?" Edward asked as he twisted my hair back and forth around his fingers.

"Nothing much, same as every other night; put Josh to bed, watch the TV, read a book, the usual."

"How would you feel about Josh spending the night with Mom and Dad?" he asked cautiously. "He knows them well enough now, and they absolutely adore one another. I thought we could maybe have that first date I promised you!"

"Do you think he's ready? I mean, I know he's slept over at Angela and Ben's before, but he's known them from birth and even though he doesn't see them very often, he still recognizes them and knows who they are."

"Bella, relax. I promise you, Josh knows Mom and Dad well enough by now, and we'll both have our phones. If there's any problem, they can contact us and we can go and pick him up. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think he was ready."

I thought about it for a short while and realized Edward was right. The insecurity said more about me than it did about Josh, and I did promise Esme and Carlisle that he could eventually start spending the night there.

I blew out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. "Okay, are you sure it will be alright with Esme and Carlisle? What if they have plans already?"

"They don't. I sort of already asked," he said giving me his best panty-dropping smile.

I poked my finger into his side making him jump, "You tricked me!"

"No, I just did a little groundwork first," he laughed.

"So where are you taking me?"

"I'm not telling,"

"I need to know. How will I know what to wear?"

He thought for a moment. "If I tell you what to wear, you'll only panic."

"That doesn't sound good, Edward," I said alarmed.

He laughed, "Trust me you'll love it. Besides, I've already enlisted the help of Alice."

"What? So I'm not capable of choosing my own clothes?" I said pushing away from him slightly miffed.

"No, it's not like that," he pulled me back into him. "Alice and Jasper were at my parents' place when I asked them to keep Josh for the night. They asked what I had planned, and Alice being Alice, said she had the perfect idea for an outfit. Let's face it, no-one argues with Alice!"

I had to agree with that. I almost started to feel sorry for him. "She railroaded you," I smirked.

He nodded. "It's Jasper I feel sorry for though. You should have seen the clothes that she had him dressed in, ripped jeans, a yellow plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat. He looked like Woody from Toy Story," he laughed a full-on belly laugh.

I shook my head at the mental image. "So you could at least give me a clue of what you have planned."

"Not really, I don't want to spoil the surprise. Alice won't spill either, so don't even think about it!" he warned.

I pouted my best trout-pout, but even that didn't work.

"You know what I'm going to do now, right?" Edward asked with a raised brow and a glint in his eye as he pushing me backwards onto the sofa.

"No, what's that?" I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I'm going to kiss that pout right off of your face."

My stomach tightened as his tongue snaked out to lick his lips slowly, and I realized that I was doing the same.

"Well, don't keep a girl waiting," I whispered closing my eyes as I pulled his lips down to meet mine.

They touched softly at first; several delicate kisses shared between us before Edward took my bottom lip between his teeth sucking on it gently, my tongue snuck out begging him for entrance which he complied with immediately. Our lips moved and our tongues fought for dominance as the heat of the kiss greatly escalated.

My hands found their way into his hair and I tugged on it hard needing more from him. Climbing on top of me, he parted my legs with his knee as one hand snuck underneath the hem of my t-shirt and stroked the soft skin of my stomach.

"Oh, God," I moaned as I felt my panties getting wetter by the minute. Edward must have sensed my urgency as he pushed his growing erection into my heated centre; our need was so great that we could feel one another's want even through the barrier of our clothes.

Our kisses were frantic and Edward's mouth left mine to leave a hot open mouthed trail down my throat to my collarbone, where he bit down, enticing a deep moan to leave my throat. I swivelled my hips upward to meet with his now solid cock that was threatening to burst though his jeans.

"Bella..."

"Mmm,"

"Bella, we have to stop," Edward said stilling himself and bringing his forehead up to rest on mine.

"You don't want me?" I asked, feeling the weight of rejection wash over me.

"I want you more than you'll ever know," he replied breathlessly.

"Then why...Why stop?" I asked looking into his eyes; mine filled with tears of rejection.

"This is a whole new beginning for us, Bella. I want to do this right. We've been together, split up, got back together again. We even have a fourteen-month-old son, and we still haven't been on one single date. Do you know how fucked up that all is?" he chuckled. "Just for once, I want to do the right thing by you. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," I choked out, understanding his reasoning, but not being too happy over it.

He kissed me softly, "You don't know how hard it is for me to stop right now."

"Believe me, Edward, I know exactly how hard it is," I said wiggling my hips, suddenly finding my sense of humor.

Edward groaned and let out a chuckle as his head dropped to my shoulder.

"Stay with me," he whispered. "Friday, will you stay with me?"

I nodded my head, "There's nothing I'd like more."

Edward left the apartment shortly afterwards not wanting to tempt fate. It was evident that we still couldn't keep our hands off one another, but at least we both had the knowledge that Friday was only two days away. I couldn't resist teasing him as I kissed him goodnight and whispered that he had left me so frustrated that I would have to seek out the company of "Roger." With the animalistic look that appeared on his face, I thought he was going to grab my hair and drag me to the bedroom; not that I would have minded. Instead he shook his head and chuckled, placed a lingering kiss on my lips, and reminded me that no rabbit could compete with him. He then left me open-mouthed as he walked away telling me he had a hot date with his lube!

**A/N**

**Okay, we're coming to the end of this story now; there are just two more chapters left plus the EPI. As a big THANK YOU to everyone who has read and reviewed I will be posting the final two chapters together. BUT, I want YOU to choose how you want the EPI…Do you want it posting along with the final two chapters or would you like it two days later as normal? It's your call.** **Whichever way you choose the complete button will be hit at some point this week *Sad face***

**Next chapter is the date. Which none of you guessed correctly LOL, although some of you were on the right lines. *smiley face*  
**


	39. Chapter 38

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 38**

"Bye, I love you," I kissed Josh and waved him goodbye with a heavy heart. I hated leaving him but still put on a brave face, so that he wouldn't get upset.

"Don't worry. If he doesn't settle, we'll call you. Now go on, get inside and make sure you have a good night," Esme said giving me a wink as she walked away with Josh in her arms.

I waved and blew kisses to Josh until he was out of sight before closing the door to my apartment.

"Right, let's get on with this." Alice rubbed her hands together as I turned to face her. "And wipe that worried look off your face! Josh is going to have a ball and so will you, if you ever manage to get ready. Now, scoot! Go shower," she ordered as she pushed me towards the bathroom. "Don't forget to tidy up the lady garden!"

I slammed the bathroom door behind me to drown out her incessant droning. I knew she was still out there getting things organized because I could still hear her muttering away to herself, as I turned on the shower to let it heat up.

"Are you finished in there?" she called as I wrapped my robe around myself and swung open the door.

"Yes," I answered screwing my face up like a petulant child and stomping off into the bedroom. "I don't see why you have to help me anyway; I'm more than capable of dressing myself." I was beginning to get annoyed now.

"Because I know where you're going and you don't!" She dug into her box of tricks and pulled out a curling iron. "I was thinking, hair down with a few spiral curls. What do you think?" she called over her shoulder as I took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't think anything, Alice. I don't know anything about where Edward's taking me, so how am I supposed to have an opinion?"

"You're not going to find out either, not from me anyway," she smiled sarcastically as she plugged in the iron to heat up while blow drying my hair. "So, are you all excited?" she shouted over the noise of the hair dryer.

I couldn't help but smile. "I guess so. I'm a little nervous; it's been so long since I've been on a date."

"You'll be fine. You're with Edward, remember," Alice said almost pulling a chunk of hair from my scalp.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"Damn knots," she muttered. "Is this the first date Edward's ever been on? I mean, according to Jasper, this isn't the sort of thing Edward's ever done before."

"I've no idea. He did date Lauren for a good few months. Surely, they must have gone on some dates."

"From what Jasper's told me, it was more like a few dinners and the occasional film. It sounded as if that was only to stop Lauren moaning." Alice rubbed some kind of putty into my hair before continuing to dry it.

"I don't think he actually took her out because he wanted to, it was more like he felt he had to. With you it's different. When he told us what he had planned, it was so cute." She bounced up and down on her tip toes. "He was so excited, and Jasper says he's never seen Edward like this before."

"Like what?"

"Loved up of course!"

"Alice, Edward is not loved up."

"Hmm, hmm," she shrugged her shoulders. "You'll see."

"There, done!" She declared a few minutes later, "Let's enhance those curls now, shall we?" She picked up the curling iron burning her index finger in an attempt to test if it was hot enough.

"Where's Rose anyway? It's not like her not to want to play Bella Barbie," I asked as Alice twisted a length of hair around the iron.

"She's gone to the cinema with Emmett. He wanted to see Ted and wouldn't let up until she agreed." She released my hair and picked up another section.

"Those two are such opposites and yet it's obvious that they are made for one another. They're soulmates," I smiled.

"They are," Alice agreed. "A bit like me and Jasper."

I was curious. "Is it really serious between you and Jasper? I mean, you chased him for so long and now you've finally got him, does he live up to expectations?"

Alice stopped what she was doing. "He's everything and more," she grinned. "I never thought I would be this happy. You know he's mentioned a few times about us moving in together."

"Really?" I gasped turning around to look at her.

"Yep," she nodded; her eyes bright with excitement.

"What did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it." she sniggered, "What he doesn't know is that I already have several boxes packed and my wedding dress designed."

"You get worse," I laughed giving her a hug.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Alice laughed. She'd done a great job of it leaving it to hang loose down my back, with soft spiral curls delicately placed here and there framing my face.

"Now for the make-up," she said, rummaging through her bag. She brought out a make-up kit to rival any professional's. "Close your eyes," she instructed, smearing my face with some kind of nice-smelling gunk.

We chatted as she worked. "Done," she declared after around twenty minutes. I looked closely in the mirror and smiled. She had kept the make-up simple and light, emphasizing my eyes to look wide, and dare I say, sexy? A light touch of shimmering color swept along my cheekbones and a hint of lip gloss sat on my now pouty lips.

"Wow, Alice, is that even me looking back in the mirror?" I asked fingering my face.

She quickly knocked my hands away. "No touching, you'll smear it," she ordered. "Here, slip these on, Edward's in for a treat tonight." She giggled as she handed me the skimpiest sapphire-blue silk and lace underwear set known to man.

"I can't wear that! It's practically illegal!" I gulped.

"Oh, come on, it's not like he hasn't seen the goods before. Put them on, you'll look amazing," she insisted.

I tugged on the strapless bra, thinking it left little to the imagination as the lace only just covered my nipples. Although it did give me the most amazing cleavage, even I was impressed with the shape of my own rack. However, the panties were a whole new ball in the park; a small lace triangle at the front had two silk straps at the sides, these tied together with two more silk straps that came from the back g-string to create a beautiful bow, which sat neatly on each hipbone.

I twirled in the mirror to take in the full effect.

"You look stunning," Alice clapped her hands. It was a good thing that I had a firm rounded ass because it was all hanging out.

"You don't think I look too thin?" I asked a little worried.

"Stop freaking your shit! You look amazing. Edward won't be able to keep his hands off you when he sees you in this and trust me, you may have lost weight, but you have curves in all the right places," she said slapping my ass for effect. "Here, put this on." she unzipped a dress bag that she had hung on the back of the closet door. "I hope you like it; I designed it myself," she smiled taking a sapphire blue dress that matched my underwear off of the hanger.

"Oh, Alice, it's stunning," I stared at the dress open-mouthed, it was simple and elegant. "Oh, my God," I panicked. "Where's he taking me to wear something like this?"

"Stop worrying," she chided. "You won't feel uncomfortable, have faith in him."

I nodded. "You're right," I said taking the dress from her hands. She helped me step into it before fastening it up.

"Perfect!" she smiled as she stood back taking me in.

The dress was strapless and full-length to the floor with a gathered waist and ruched softly padded bust with a boned bodice; it had one single central shoulder strap that was embellished with crystals and sequins that sat over my right shoulder, trailing down between my breasts to my waist where it snaked across over my left hip. The dress floated delicately with every movement and made me feel like a fairytale princess. I had matching diamante encrusted, peep-toe pumps to match, as well as a clutch that actually belonged to Alice, _she wanted that one back._

"If you don't blow him away looking like that, I don't know what will," she looked slightly teary.

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"Like it? Bella, he'll not be able to keep his hands off of you all evening, let alone his eyes."

"I'm nervous," I confessed.

"Look, there's nothing to be nervous about. Trust me, trust Edward, he's not got anything planned that will make you uncomfortable," she said pulling a bag from the bottom of the closet and tossing a few toiletries into it.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, now stop worrying," she folded up a clean set of underwear, a pair of jeans, and a plain t-shirt putting them all inside.

"What are you doing?"

Alice rolled her eyes, "You are going to need clothes for tomorrow you know, unless you plan on doing the walk of shame!"

"I'd not thought that far ahead."

"I didn't think so," she said zipping up the bag.

A glass of wine and a pep talk later, Alice left, making sure to leave my overnight bag by the door, so that I wouldn't forget it. I nervously paced the apartment and checked my appearance in the mirror several times before sitting down on the edge of the sofa trying to collect myself.

Three soft raps against the door made me jump, and I stood, smoothing down my dress and patting my hair before making my way over to open it.

"Bella, you look..." Edward's eyes roamed my entire body and I must admit that I did the same to him, he looked out of this world. I was used to seeing Edward in a suit, but right at this moment, he stood before me wearing a black tuxedo. To say my mouth watered and eyes popped out was a slight understatement.

"Beautiful," he said as his eyes met mine, smiling he took a step towards me and kissing my cheek.

"Thank you," I croaked shyly. "You look very...handsome," I said not able to quite find the words to describe how wonderful he looked.

He offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

"Let's," I smiled entwining my arm through his. Bending down I remembered my overnight bag.

"I'll take that," Edward offered taking it from my hands while I blushed several shades of red, knowing what the significance of the bag meant.

"So, what do you have planned?" I asked trying to break atmosphere that was tense with expectation.

"That would be telling," he winked. "But don't worry, it's nothing that you won't enjoy."

"Who says I'm worried?"

"I do," he chuckled. "It's rolling off you in waves. Just relax; we'll have fun," He opened the door to the apartment building and swept his hand in front of me so I would go first.

"All of this?" I gasped as I walked down the steps to the awaiting limousine where a driver stood with the rear door open awaiting us to climb in.

"I asked you on a date. This is it," he bent whispering in my ear. "Climb in," he offered his hand to help and gave the driver my overnight bag before climbing in beside me.

"Edward, this is wonderful. I've never been in a limousine before," I murmured as I took in my surroundings of plush leather seats and floor-to-ceiling luxury.

"Well, I hope you like it," he grinned opening a compartment to reveal a bottle of champagne chilling on ice. "Here's to an enjoyable evening," he began as he poured two glasses and handed me one.

"To an enjoyable evening," we raised and clinked glasses. My eyes never left Edward's as we sipped slowly.

"Do you have any expectations of this evening?" Edward asked as I noticed the driver turn onto the I-5N heading towards Vancouver.

"None whatsoever. Alice wouldn't tell me a thing," I sulked.

"That's because she was under strict orders. Jazz promised her a whole weekend of shopping if she managed to keep it to herself," he laughed. "It must have been killing her."

Soon enough the driver took the exit and headed towards Marysville, we carried on chatting for awhile and all the tension melted away, until we were completely comfortable in each other's company.

"It won't be long now," Edward gave my hand a squeeze. "Before we arrive, there's something I'd like to give you." He opened another compartment that was hidden between the seats and took out a small baby pink box that was beautifully tied with a cream satin ribbon. "I hope you like them. Alice helped me choose, and she said they would match your dress," he smiled.

It seemed a shame to disturb the ribbon that made the box look so pretty, but I gently removed the lid. "Oh, Edward, I gasped," looking up at his face beaming wide. "They're beautiful!" Nestled on a deep red pillow sat a pair of platinum and diamond drop earrings; the drop formed a tear shape made entirely from diamonds, with a beautiful sapphire nestled in the center. "I don't know what to say, other than, thank you."

"You don't need to say a thing, Bella, your face says it all," he grinned lowering his lips to meet mine before removing the earrings and placing them in my ears. "Perfect," he declared as he pushed my hair gently behind my ears.

"I love them, Edward, thank you so much," I hugged him after I had placed the small compact mirror back into my clutch.

"Five more minutes, Mr. Cullen," the driver called.

"Thank you, Paul," Edward began to look nervous. "Bella, before we arrive, I need to ask you if you're still okay with this?" he ran his hand through his hair. "Spending the night with me, I mean. I...I don't want you to feel that you have to or anything. It's just that you said you would, and I don't want you to just think that I was being presumptuous or any..."

I placed my finger on his lips hushing him. "Edward, I said I would and I meant it, okay? Stop worrying," I smiled reassuringly. "I want to, more than anything," I whispered placing a kiss on his lips as we pulled up.

"Where are we?" I asked as he took my hand to help me out of the car.

"Tulipa," he replied as I took in the surroundings. "It's a resort hotel. It has everything here, a spa, entertainment, dancing, but I thought we could have a meal and hit the casino. You know, maybe recreate our night in Vegas," he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I couldn't help but laugh, "You really thought this out, didn't you?"

"I tried, I mean I could have taken you to the Space Needle or the Arboretum, but I figured that wouldn't be special. I wanted to choose something that meant something to us. I know it's not Vegas, but it's as close as I could get at short notice. I just hope you're still there when I wake up in the morning this time," he joked.

"And no babies this time," I smirked.

"No babies," he confirmed with a grin. "Although I can't say that I regret it." He snaked his arm around my waist as he led me through the foyer to reception to check in.

"Me neither," I replied.

Apparently, Edward had not just booked us a room, but a whole suite. My jaw hit the floor when he told me; not that I had a chance to see it because as soon as we were checked in, a porter appeared to whisk away our bags while Edward whisked me away to the fine dining restaurant.

_NOW_ I could see why I was in an evening gown and Edward was in a tux. I thought my heart was going to stop as I looked around at the sumptuous surroundings. This place was luxury personified! Deep burgundy walls that were emphasized by both burgundy and golden drapes, which were tied back to show off the magnificent view overlooking the hotel and casino grounds. Dark solid woods were the theme showing off luxurious painting that were illuminated by romantic scroll lighting, and deep back armchairs adorned every dining table giving the whole place a warm, yet romantic feel.

"Would you care to follow me," The maitre d' asked showing us to our table. Edward, being the gentleman, let me follow first. I smiled and thanked him as he pulled out my chair for me to take a seat.

The Maitre d' handed us our menus and poured a glass of water for each of us before leaving us alone to converse. "I've never been to a place like this before." I confessed as I browsed through the appetizers.

"Well then, it's a good thing I brought you," he gave my hand a squeeze across the table. "What would you like to drink?"

"I'm not sure," I scanned the wine list, but to be truthful, none of it made sense. In my book, if it got you drunk and didn't taste like vinegar, you were onto a winner. "Why don't you order for both of us?" I smiled. Edward knew I didn't have a clue what the hell I was doing and chuckled to himself under his breath.

After he'd ordered the wine and our food, we sat back and talked. The conversation flowed easily as we told each other all about our upbringings. Edward asked me multiple questions about my pregnancy and Josh's birth, the expression on his face looked a cross between being in awe and being horrified.

"I don't know how you did it," he said as our main courses arrived.

"I had a good support system of friends and my dad was brilliant. He was behind me one hundred percent."

"Did he never ask any questions as to who the father was?"

I shook my head, "No, I don't think he really wanted to know the answer. I think he suspected I didn't know, but didn't really want to hear that about his little girl."

"I can understand that," he said tucking into his hazelnut crusted rack of lamb. "He didn't seem surprised though when he found out that I was Josh's father."

"I think he had an inkling, I think everyone did, bar you!" I smirked. "Even your mother worked it out. Josh has your eyes and your hair, and he even has your mannerisms. I'm sure he put two and two together; he's not stupid."

Edward nodded his head in agreement. "How's the food?" he asked looking across at my plate.

"Delicious, would you like to try some?" I picked up a forkful of lobster tail and held it out for him. He wrapped his mouth around the fork and moaned, "That sauce is to die for, what is it?"

"Citrus and herb butter? I might try making this at home one night, although I doubt it would taste this good."

"Bella, everything you cook is this good. I can't wait to try it."

I blushed. "Thanks for the compliment, but I cook out of necessity these days rather than fun."

"Is that how you learned to cook, through necessity?" He held out a forkful of lamb for me to try, but I declined.

"Yes and no. I had to cook because as you know Charlie is pretty useless at it, but I also enjoyed it so it became a hobby. I would read recipe books endlessly and scour the internet looking for new things to try, and when I had Josh, it became a stress reliever as well as a hobby. That's when I started making all his meals myself rather than buying them in packets or jars. But then when my grandmother's inheritance was about to run out, and I was forced to go back to work, it kind of became a chore because it can be so time consuming."

Edward nodded in understanding. "If you could have, would you have preferred to have been a stay at home mom or do you enjoy being out at work?"

"A little of both," I said after thinking for a while.

"So if say... You won the lottery tomorrow, would you carry on working?" he asked curiously laying down his cutlery on a now empty plate.

"Um," I sat back full, pushing my plate away and thinking about Edward's question. "That's a tough one, but I think no, I would rather be at home with Josh. I would miss the day-to-day interaction of being at work, but the benefits of being at home and raising Josh myself would far out weigh that. I think ideally after Josh started school, then I would probably like to go back to work part-time."

"Unless you had more children in the meantime," he raised his brow.

I gulped. "Well, seeing as it's a rhetorical question, it's not about to happen."

"Well, no," he offered, "but it does bring up the question of whether or not you would like more children in the future."

I fidgeted with the skirt of my dress and without looking up, knew that Edward had not taken his eyes off of me. "Well..." I started, looking down at my hands. "I've never really given it a great deal of thought, but I suppose I do, yes. I was an only child and it could get very lonely at times. I don't really like the idea of Josh growing up all alone."

"So you would like to have more?"

"Yes," I told him glancing up through my lashes; he was still staring at me.

"So would I... One day not just yet though."

We stared at each other for a moment before Edward took my hand. "Would you like dessert or would you like to go and do something else?"He asked softly.

"I couldn't eat another thing. What about you? I know what a sweet tooth you have!"

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll get my dessert later," he smirked throwing down his napkin, indicating to the waiter for the bill.

"Come on," he said after leaving enough cash to cover the bill and a tip. "Let's go and win some money."

The casino wasn't quite what I expected. It was huge, not by Vegas standards obviously, but huge all the same, at almost 200,000 square feet and with almost every slot and gaming table imaginable.

"Here you go," Edward said as I took a cupful of gaming chips from him. "Where shall we start?"

"I'm not really sure," I looked around, the place was far more busy than what I expected, and I was surprised to find that we were not the only ones in evening dress. It was quite a mixed bag really, people wearing jeans and t-shirts were sitting playing next to high-rollers, who were dressed in tuxedos or cocktail dresses. "How about over there?" I pointed to a slot named 'Vegas Hits'. "It's a sign!" I declared confidently.

"Whatever you want!" Edward smiled and he took my hand as we walked over, "Hey, have you seen the slot just down from it?"

"Which one?" I glanced around, "That one there!" Edward pointed to a machine three slots down, "I'm playing that; it reminds me of your dad."

"You're being serious, Village People Party?" I creased over in laughter as he started to press buttons.

Several slots and a blackjack table later, we headed over to the bar. "Would you like a cocktail?" Edward asked ordering himself a whiskey sour.

"Could I have a mojito? I've always wanted to try one of those."

"You've never tried one before?"

I shook my head. "No, I've heard they're nice, but I usually just stick to what I know. It won't blow my head off, will it?" watching the bartender crush mint and ice with sugar.

"I doubt it. You've hardly drank anything and you've eaten, so you should be fine."

"Good. I don't want to be in the same state as the last time we hit the casino."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. You were very endearing that night." He placed his hand on my upper thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Please, like you'd know. We were both so wasted that neither of us can remember a thing."

"It just goes to show that even when wasted I have good taste," he grinned flashing his pearly whites.

"Smooth talker, flattery will get you everywhere."

"I certainly hope so," he whispered leaning in closer, planting a gentle kiss on the pulse point just below my ear.

Closing my eyes, I willed the tightening in my stomach to go away, "You're such a tease."

He laughed as he turned on the barstool to face me. "Are you having a good time this evening?" he asked taking a sip of his whiskey sour.

"I'm having a wonderful time," I rubbed his arm smiling. "Thank you for bringing me. It looks as though we might even be a few chips up!" I shook the chip cup that was on the bar.

"Always a bonus," he said taking my hand that was resting on his arm and holding it firmly in his. "What would you like to do next?"

"I'm not sure, you choose."

"Okay," he played with my fingers while he was thinking. "Drink up."

"Where are we going?" I asked as he threw back the rest of his whiskey sour.

"You'll find out soon enough," he leaned towards me. "There's something I'd like to do with you while you're still in that dress." He raised an eyebrow, and I did the same.

"Easy," he laughed as I tipped my head back and swallowed the rest of my mojito. "Did you enjoy that?"

"It was lovely, very refreshing. I'd definitely have one of those again," I said climbing down from the barstool. Edward held out his arms to steady me as he snaked one around my waist.

"Let's get these chips cashed in and then we can enjoy the rest of the night."

Even though I was wearing four-inch heels, Edward was still a good few inches taller than me. I reached up on my tip toes and kissed his lips gently. "Sounds like a plan," I smiled.

"Seventy-two dollars up, I wasn't expecting that," I laughed as Edward led me out of the casino and back through the hotel.

"It was the Village People Party slot," Edward joked. "I knew Charlie would bring me good luck."

"No, it wasn't. I did pretty well playing blackjack, I won at least four hands!"

"Bella, you won four hands, but lost about seven!"

"Listen to him, 'Mr., _watch this, I'm really good at roulette_!' You never got a single number or color right," I said smugly.

"It was an off day!" Edward tickled my side and I giggled.

"If we both sucked so bad how have we managed to come away seventy-two dollars up?"

"I've no idea, but I'm not complaining. Come on, it's this way," he said leading me through the main foyer to the entertainment area where several different rooms led off. He paused briefly wondering which door to take before finally settling for the huge double doors to our left.

"What exactly are we doing?" I asked as Edward held the door open for me.

"Dancing!"

"Dancing?"

"That's what I said," he murmured as he took my hand and led me through what could only be described as a room full of opulent luxury, dark blue walls and ceiling housed thousands of tiny twinkling white lights while luxurious leather seating surrounded a dark hardwood dance floor. A grand piano took center stage on a raised platform, and a small man in a white tux played to his heart's content.

"Hang on," I pulled him back. "This isn't the kind of dancing that I do, Edward. This is real dancing, the twirl-you-in-your-arms kind that I'm absolutely useless at!"

"Nonsense, you'll be fine, just follow my lead."

The room wasn't full, maybe around twenty couples milled around; some sat watching while others twirled around effortlessly on the dance floor. There were one or two couples around our age, but most looked in their forties and above.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" We reached the dance floor as Edward turned me to face him.

"Of course," he smirked pulling my body close to his; he took my hand as the other was at my waist and we began to move effortlessly to the music.

"How did you learn to dance like this?" I asked as we moved along the dance floor.

"My Grandparents used to dance all the time. When I was young and my parents were starting up their own companies, we used to spend at lot of time at grandma's house." He smiled at the memory pulling me slightly closer until I was virtually nestled into his chest.

"Are they still around? I've never heard you mention them before."

"No, Grandma died when I was eighteen and my Grandfather died around eighteen months later of a broken heart. He never got over losing his wife; it hit him hard and he just gave up."

"I only ever knew my Grandmother," I told him. "The others died before I was born. Grandma helped raise me too. When my mother left, my Gran sort of stepped into her shoes and looked after me while dad worked. She died when I was thirteen, but it didn't come as a shock because she was ill for quite awhile."

"She's the one who left you the money?" he asked as our movements slowed. We were virtually standing still on the edge of the dance floor just swaying in each other's arms.

"Yeah, she always told me that she had a little money tucked away for me for a rainy day. She was adamant that one day I would need it, and not to touch it until then. I'm glad I listened to her. Without it, Josh and I would probably have ended up living back in Forks with dad."

"I'm sorry you had to spend your inheritance raising our son!" Edward looked glum at the thought.

"Don't be! I'm not. That's what the money was there for and I used it exactly like she would have wanted." I slid my hand from his shoulder and placed it behind his neck. "Kiss me," I told him as I looked into his eyes. He let go of my hand and cupped my face bringing his lips down to mine. Tingles ran through my body and I shivered slightly as our lips locked together.

"You don't know what you do to me, Bella," Edward whispered as our kiss broke and he wrapped his arms tightly around me still swaying slightly to the music. I brought my head to rest against his chest. "When we were apart, I didn't feel complete. I was lost," he continued, as he kissed my temple and ran his fingers delicately along the length of my neck as he moved his feet gliding us further along the dance floor.

"This may sound silly but even though we had only been together a short time, it felt like a part of me was missing, as though I had lost a limb," I confessed staring into the green depths of his eyes. "I never want to feel like that again."

"You won't ever have to; I'm never going anywhere again." He leaned down cradling my head with his hand as he rested his cheek against mine, still moving slowly to the faint sounds of the piano playing in the background. "I've told you before, Bella, this is it for me." His head came up as he stared into my eyes.

"This is it for me too, Edward," I whispered.

"Really?" he searched my eyes for something.

I nodded my head slightly, "Yes, really." A small smile played at the corner of his lips, and we still swayed to the soothing sounds of the piano as the lights above us twinkled away like a moonlit sky.

"I love you, Bella," he said quietly, still searching my eyes for the unknown.

I stopped moving as my breath caught a hitch, my stomach knotted at the sound of those three words, three little words that I have only ever dreamed of hearing.

"I love you too, Edward, so much," I said with conviction as Edward released a breath that I didn't know he was holding. My hands played with the hair at the nape of his neck as our lips locked into a gentle yet passionate embrace.

Coming up for air, Edward brought his forehead to rest with mine as we smiled with relief.

"You really love me?" he whispered as he started to sway me to the music once more.

"More than I ever thought possible," I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

"I think I fell in love with you in Vegas," he murmured in my ear. "I can't explain how or why, but ever since then, I dreamt about you... Except I didn't know that it was you... I'm sorry I sound like I'm rambling. That doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense, Edward, I had dreams about Vegas too," I brought my hands down to rest on his chest. "Your eyes and the way you made me feel...I never stopped remembering those things. Do you believe in fate?"

"I do now," he chuckled lightly.

"Me too," I smiled as he pulled me impossibly closer. We stayed in each other's arms wrapped up in our bubble, oblivious to the music or the people around us.

"Edward."

"Hmm," he mumbled, eyes closed as we swayed forehead to forehead to the music. "Can we go to our room now?"

He opened his eyes slowly.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure about anything...Other than the fact that I love you and I want to be with you!"

"I love you too," he repeated again pecking my lips with a smile as he straightened and released me from the warmth of his embrace before taking my hand to lead me out of the room.


	40. Chapter 39

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 39**

The elevator ride up to our suite was charged with electricity. I snuggled hard into Edward's side as he peppered my hair with kisses. "Do you realize that a lot of our relationship has been centered around elevators?" I giggled.

"I can't say that I have," he looked bemused.

"Yeah," I told him giddily. "I vaguely remember being in the elevator with you in Vegas, and then the first time I met you at Cullen International, it was in the elevator..."

"Arr yes, I remember that," he laughed as he continued planting kisses along my hairline. "You were checking me out!"

"I was not," I mock gasped. "Well, maybe just a little." I raised my thumb and pointer finger to indicate an inch.

He gave my hip a squeeze. "I can't really blame you for having good taste," he shrugged.

"You have tickets on yourself, Mr. Cullen," I joked as the elevator pinged and the doors slid back.

We walked down the plush corridor to the one and only door that was situated at the end.

"The Tulalip Suite?" I asked reading the plaque on the door as Edward removed a card from his pocket and inserted it into the lock making the light turn to green.

"I thought a suite would be better, all the luxury of home and a later check-out time," he grinned as he ushered me inside.

I was literally speechless as I took in the room or rooms as the case was, it really was a home away from home, for Edward at least. He was used to living in a penthouse in the lap of luxury, for me who lived in a tiny little apartment, this was total opulence.

"What do you think?" Edward asked as he came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

I looked at my surroundings, "I don't know what to say, Edward, other than it's beautiful!"

"I thought you'd like it. Here, come and look around," he steered me to the left where a baby grand piano in black and chrome sat across from a granite clad bar, which was complete with champagne chilling on ice. Leading off from the bar was a catering kitchen, with views of the Cascades. I tentatively pressed a few of the keys on the baby grand as tinkering sounds escaped and echoed through the room.

The living area reminded me slightly of Edward's apartment with its floor to ceiling windows wrapping unobstructed around a double-sided fireplace. Plush patterned fabrics graced every corner as tribal artwork adorned the walls.

"This place is huge!" I said as I ran my finger across the cool granite of the bar.

"2,500 square feet," Edward quickly informed me.

"Have you been here before?" I asked curiously as I opened the door leading into the bedroom, stopping in my tracks as I faced the king-sized bed.

"No, I looked all the details up online before I booked," he answered as he walked over to the natural stone fireplace that faced the bed. He switched it on to warm the room that was by no means cold, adding a natural romantic glow to the room as he dimmed the lights.

"The bathroom is through there," he pointed to another set of doors. "It has a hydrotherapy tub with over thirty jets, maybe we could try it out later?" he asked with a raised brow as he turned me to face him, running his hands up and down my arms from shoulder to wrist and back again.

"I'd like that," I croaked as nervous anticipation suddenly steeled my body. I bravely stepped forward placing my hands on Edward's stomach before running them upwards over his taut chest, and they came to rest just below his shoulders.

He placed his hand at my temple and ran his fingers down the length of my hair, "I can't tell you enough how beautiful you look."

I blushed, "You make me feel beautiful."

He shook his head, "No, Bella, it's all you. You do something to me...in here," he placed my hand over his chest and smiled as I felt the beat of his heart quicken beneath my fingers.

"Edward!" I whispered.

He nuzzled my hair, "Shh, don't say anything...Stay right there, I'll be two seconds." He planted a kiss on my forehead before virtually running out of the room. True to his word, just a matter of seconds later, he was back carrying the cooler with champagne and two flutes that I had seen on the bar near the kitchen. "I thought we could celebrate?" he said popping the cork, a rush of cold air steamed from the bottle.

"What are we celebrating?" I took the glass he offered as he poured another small one for himself.

"Being together!"

"I'll drink to that!" I said raising my glass to his before taking a sip; the bubbles went up my nose making me giggle. "I've never had champagne before tonight," I confessed taking another small mouthful and savouring the taste.

"I thought this would be a night worth celebrating." He placed his glass down on the small table beside the bed before pulling the heavy drapes closed. The warmth and light from the fire made the room feel intimate, cozy, romantic even.

"Are you nervous?" he asked as made his way back to me taking my almost empty glass and placing it down.

I shook my head no. "I'm excited," I smiled. Suddenly feeling bold, I ran my hands underneath his tux jacket before pushing it off of his shoulders; it slid down his arms before landing in a heap on the floor.

He raised his brow, "I like you excited."

"It's been awhile," I blushed as I watched him reach for his bow, untying it before throwing it down to join his jacket on the floor.

"Well, then, we need to do something about that." He pulled me closer to him as I reached for the top buttons of his shirt, unfastening them to reveal a small smattering of chest hair. I licked my lips as his fingers made delicate circles at my waist. "I want you so much, Bella."

I looked into his eyes now deep green with lust, but it was another emotion that caught my eye. It was one of love and longing, hope and passion. "I love you!" I said it with everything that was within me and I truly meant it.

"I love you!" he replied with no hesitation as his hand came up to cradle my cheek. I made fast work unfastening the final buttons of his shirt revealing the firm planes of his stomach and the taut muscles of his chest. My breath hitched as my hands roamed the smooth warmth of his skin.

"I need you, Edward," I whispered as he lowered his lips to mine gently, the softness of us both mingling together made my stomach knot and panties flood as the taste of him invaded my senses. His hand left my waist to run slowly up my back finding the concealed zipper of my dress, gradually lowering it until I felt the warm air of the room hit my skin.

Snaking one hand inside my dress to encircle my waist, he placed the other on my upper back between my shoulder blades pulling me tight against his body. I moaned into his mouth as I felt the full length of his erection pressing against my stomach. Shaking with need, my hands wound into his hair at the nape of his neck bringing his mouth firmer to mine.

The heat of his breath made me want to taste him and I snaked my tongue out licking and sucking on his upper lip as he attacked my lower. I could feel his fingertips drawing lines up and down my spine making me shiver in anticipation.

"This needs to go." I mumbled, our lips still attached as I pushed at his shirt. He somehow managed to get his arms out of the sleeves without undoing the cuffs before toeing off his shoes and socks expertly.

"Turn around," he spoke softly as he broke our kiss. I turned so that my back was towards him as he picked up my hair placing it over my left shoulder, while he attacked the right side of my neck with his lips, kissing and nibbling his way down to my collarbone before making his way upwards again. His fingers worked fast to remove the central strap of my dress, and I couldn't hold in a moan as his mouth found the pulse point below my ear. Managing to undo the central strap, I felt his fingers work their way up my waist coming to rest either side of my breasts, before sliding a finger inside the material and pushing it until it floated down into a pool around my feet, where I stepped out kicking it to one side.

"Oh, God," I heard Edward groan as he stepped back to look at me, clad only in a pair of heels and my underwear. For once I didn't worry about how my body looked as I felt Edward's eyes roam me appreciatively. I heard him move as he came around to face me, his eyes dark with need as he took in the sight of my silk clad cleavage and soaking wet panties. "You're so beautiful, I don't know whether to take these off or leave them on," he spoke with a cracked voice as he stepped towards me sweeping me up bridal style into his arms making me giggle. My arms automatically clung on around his neck.

"Take them off," I whispered as he carried me, my eyes never leaving the sight of his bulging biceps. I felt his lips quirk upwards into a smile as he attacked my jaw line with his mouth before placing me gently into the center of the bed.

"I'm going to ravish you from head to toe," he said firmly as he climbed on top of me bringing his face level with mine as he stroked back the hair from my face. "I'm going to worship your body every inch before making you cum so hard that you scream out my name...Would you like that, Bella?"

"God. Yes," I shivered, grabbing a hold of his hair pulling his lips down to mine forcibly. I parted his lips with my tongue before seeking entrance to his mouth, my hands moving downwards over his defined shoulders to the firm muscles of his back kneading and clawing as I went.

"Do you feel it, do you feel the effect you have on me?" he asked breaking the kiss as he thrust his pant covered erection into my heated center causing me to moan loudly.

"Fuck, yes!" I cried as his mouth trailed down my throat and across my chest until it found a silk clad nipple sucking it hard into his mouth until it pebbled through the delicate material. I threw my head back into the pillow and arched my back as he licked and bit me to the point of ecstasy. Sitting up slightly he reached behind me to unhook my bra before throwing it across the room, his sharp intake of breath as he saw my body laid out before him made me whimper at the loss of contact. Reaching out to him, I cupped his face stroking his light stubble with my fingers. "Make me yours, Edward," I whispered as he palmed both of my breasts kneading and stroking them expertly.

Soft open-mouthed kisses worked their way over every inch of my body from head to toe as his hands followed suit, stroking and massaging as he went. "You'll always be mine, Bella. I'll never lose you again," he murmured as hot kisses trailed up my thighs, first the left and then the right, making me quiver with need. His hands came to rest on the bows of my panties as his kisses found my center. His teeth nibbled on my lace-covered clit causing me to swivel my hips, making me moan loudly as my hands gripped the bed sheets hard into my fists.

Pushing the lace to one side, he sucked and licked my lower lips as he tugged firmly on the bows of my panties removing them in one swift movement. Groaning at the bare sight before him, he nuzzled his face between my legs, thrusting his hot tongue inside me lapping up everything I could give. His hands gripped my thighs holding me in place as I felt my stomach tighten. "Yes, so good," I cried tightening the bed sheet in my grasp. "Edward, please!" His mouth found my clit once more nipping it gently between his teeth as he sucked hard while swirling his tongue around it in a circular motion. My body reacted as I shook and cried out his name just as he'd promised I would.

I had never cum so hard before in my life, my breath was heavy as Edward gradually brought me back down from my high as he cleaned up my juices with his tongue. "That was..." I couldn't even speak as he worked his way back up my body claiming my mouth with his. He swirled his tongue around mine letting me taste the salty sweetness of myself on him.

"Incredible?" he groaned as my hands moved lower to find the button of his pants.

"You have too many clothes on," I said still breathless as I pulled down his zipper raising my legs so that I could push both his pants and boxers down with my feet. He groaned and brought his head to rest on my chest as his cock sprung free hitting my stomach with a slap as I placed his pants on the floor beside the bed. "Lay down," I instructed as I moved my body out from under him.

He did as I asked and his cock twitched bringing a smile to my face as I straddled his body. He looked beautiful laid out before me, his body hard with toned muscles and just a smattering of chest hair. His cock laid on his stomach so long and thick that if it wasn't for the fact that we had already had sex numerous times before, I would have questioned whether or not he would have fit.

I worked my way down his body with my lips and tongue paying special attention to a sensitive spot just above his right hip, his body jumped as I gently sunk my teeth in before licking it better, _he always loved it when I did that._ The head of his cock glistened with pre-cum and I teased him mercifully by placing my lips everywhere but there. My fingers stroked backwards and forwards gently against his perineum causing his balls to tighten and his cock to visibly harden.

"God, Bella, I need your mouth...Please," he almost begged as his thrust his hips upwards unconsciously. I obliged taking him in slowly, running my tongue teasingly around the head, my hand gripped his base while the other massaged his balls before I sunk my mouth down the length of his shaft as far as I could go. He placed his hands on the back of my head wrapping his fingers through my hair as he guided me up and down, sucking, licking, nipping and swirling constantly as he threw his head back groaning loudly. "You need to stop...I'm not going to last much longer if you carry on." Reluctantly, I let go.

"I was enjoying that," I grinned up at his red face, panting.

"So was I...Too much," he smirked as I climbed back up his body planting random kisses as I went. He wrapped his arms around my body rolling over taking me with him so that he was once again positioned on top of me. Reaching down beside the bed he fumbled with his pants bringing out a condom.

"Let me do it?" I asked as I took it from him tearing it open with my teeth. He kissed me hard as I reached down and rolled it over his length giving him a pump or two while I was there.

He stilled above me before bringing his hand up to stroke my cheek, staring into my eyes, "I love you so much, Bella...Really I do!"

"I love you too," I told him, my eyes filled with happy tears. He stroked them away with the pad of his thumb, before kissing me softly on the lips. His hips moved forward as, inch by agonizingly slow inch, he pushed forward into me filling me with everything he had. We both gasped at the contact, and I arched my back needing him impossibly closer. He lay still for a moment as I adjusted to his length, staring into one another's eyes silently telling one another just how we felt. I brought my legs up to wrap around his waist as he slowly pulled out as far as possible before pushing back in. The pace was slow, in and out, in and out, teasingly building me up towards another mind blowing orgasm. He must have sensed it as he increased the pace thrusting hard and swivelling his hips to reach that delicate spot within me. Thrust after thrust, he kept at it until my body tightened and I dug my nails hard into his back as I quivered beneath him calling out his name. He never relented, making my orgasm last longer than it ever had done before. Finally he gave one last long hard thrust before he stilled. I could feel him pulsing inside of me as he groaned out my name triggering yet another orgasm. I milked him dry before he finally collapsed on top of me kissing my neck as we both panted in exhaustion.

"That was mind-blowing," I smiled and kissed his cheek as I pushed his hair from his forehead and he rolled over pulling me up against his side.

Tying a knot in the condom he threw it in the trash. "That was the first time I've ever made love," he confessed as he placed my head against him. I could hear his heart racing.

"Me too," I kissed his chest. "It was so much more intense, I can't wait to go again."

"You're insatiable," he laughed as he kissed the top of my head.

"Only for you!"

"We're going to be alright, aren't we?" he asked trailing his fingers up and down my back. "The three of us, I mean. I meant what I said you know...You're it for me now, you and Josh are everything I want, everything I need."

"I think we're going to be just fine," I raised my head and kissed his lips. "I love you. Josh and I are going nowhere, and you're stuck with us now," I smiled.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he yawned.

I snuggled further into him. "Me neither."

**A/N**

**So there you have it, the very last chapter *Sob* **

**Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout MOI, it's been a bumpy ride but we got there in the end. I would just like once more to thank Twimoments, without her help and support this fic would never have seen the light of day. She really has been my rock throughout all of this. There are others that have helped and supported me so much, you all know who you are. Love and hugs to all of you.**

**I have a plot bunny or two bouncing around in my head but as of yet there is nothing concrete. Maybe you could all give me a few ideas of the kind of story's that you would like to read, what ward is your favorite? **

**After counting up the votes it seems that the majority of you would like to wait for the EPI. You are all gluttons for punishment LOL. So, as usual I will post in two days time. **


	41. Epilogue

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Epilogue**

"Get your hands off me, don't ever touch me again!" I screamed at Edward, my husband of over three years.

"Bella, you don't mean that," he said removing his hand from my shoulder.

"Yes, I do, this is all your fault. If you could have just kept your dick in your pants, none of this would have happened." I sobbed.

"I'm sorry, baby, I wish I could take all the pain away," he said stepping towards me once more and taking my hand in his.

I shook it away. "Pain, Edward, you don't know the meaning of it. Don't you or that big fat dick of yours ever come near me again." I screamed, I mean really screamed, as Adele, the nurse stood at the bottom of the bed trying not to snigger.

I was in the final stages of labor and I admit I was being a first class bitch; but if that husband of mine hadn't seduced me with two bottles of champagne on our anniversary, I wouldn't have been in complete agony right now. Not that I was serious, I could never live without Edward or his dick, but seriously, it wasn't him having to squeeze something the size of a melon out of a hole the size of a peanut. At the time this happened, he knew I'd been ill just a week before, and the antibiotics I had been prescribed had messed with my birth control, resulting in three positive pregnancy tests lined up on the bathroom counter just a few weeks afterwards.

We had planned on having another child sooner rather than later, so both of us were actually ecstatic. Edward couldn't contain his excitement and insisted on making sure that the entire world and their dog knew immediately. Once again, just like with Josh, I was shockingly ill almost from the start and was forced to hand in my resignation with Emmett. Carlisle had come good on his promise to promote me to Emmett's PA once Victoria had left to start her new life in the UK, and for the last four years, I had done the job well.

"Argh!" I screamed as another forceful contraction hit me. This time I let Edward massage my lower back without any complaints. Life had been good to us over the last few years, Josh was now six years old and had become a miniature version of Edward. He had looked a lot like me when he was younger, but as time passed, he became more and more like his father every day.

Edward proposed just a few short months after we'd gotten back together although the wedding didn't take place until the following year. It was small with just family and a few close friends held at Esme and Carlisle's home down by the lake. Dad had given me away with a tear in his eye, and _he also made Edward promise not to give me back!_ Josh had been Edward's best man and looked so cute in his little tux. Angela, Rose and Alice had been my bridesmaids and Jake, who had flown in from California, along with Sam, had done us the honor of being our photographer for the day. Our honeymoon was a surprise organized by Edward, five whole days in Vegas followed by two whole weeks in Hawaii. It killed me to leave our little man behind, but he'd become so attached to his grandparents that we knew he'd be in safe hands.

"Okay, Bella, you're nine centimeters dilated. It's almost time." Dr. Howe smiled as she removed the sterile gloves from her hands replacing them with a fresh pair. Adele, the nurse, was busy placing instruments of torture onto a tray by my feet, as another nurse busied herself checking the baby's heart rhythm.

"You're doing great," Edward whispered in my ear as he pushed back my hair soaked with sweat and placed a cold press against my forehead. He was so excited, bless him. He wasn't around to see Josh's birth and always felt that he'd missed out on what should have been one of the most important days of his life, so from the moment the pregnancy test showed positive, he had immersed himself knee deep in birthing guides and pregnancy books.

"It hurts, Edward, make it stop!" I was being a pain and I knew it, but the gas and air wasn't working, and I was too far gone for anything else.

"It won't be much longer, you're doing great." He took my hand and I grasped it hard, unintentionally digging my nails in as another contraction hit. Edward's face grimaced with pain, and I shot him a death glare. He didn't have a clue what real pain felt like, the whimp!

"I want to go home," I cried as the contraction subsided. I loved my home, it was my sanctuary; the one place where I could close the door and nothing else mattered, other than our little family. I had given up my apartment just two months after Edward proposed. The lease was coming to an end and rather than renewing, we decided that it would be easier for Josh and me to just move in with Edward. We knew that's what would be happening after the wedding anyway. Josh had his playroom and an amazing bedroom all decked out with a train theme. He even had a track that ran all the way around the edge of the room, near the ceiling, that constantly had a miniature steam train running along it. We were happy there. The place was huge, but the one thing that was missing was outdoor space. We needed a garden for Josh to run around in. He was constantly outdoors when he was at his grandparent's house, and he loved to play in the play area that Esme had created for him. It seemed like a natural progression when one of Esme's neighbors decided to sell, so we put in an offer and three months later, we were moving in.

The house wasn't as big as Esme's, but it was just as beautiful with two reception rooms, dining room, a cozy little sunroom, an office for Edward, four bedrooms and five bathrooms, but the major selling point for me was the kitchen. It was huge, homey and had every appliance that I had ever wanted. I practically lived in that kitchen from morning until night, cooking up so much food that I would often send Edward traipsing across the lawn to Esme's, weighed down with arms full of dishes for her and Carlisle to eat.

Josh loved it, not only did he now have his own back yard to run around in, but he also had both of his grandparents at his disposal. Even though they were only a stone's throw away, we were careful not to live in each other's pockets. We could quite easily go days without bumping into one another. Josh still spent his Friday evenings over there, giving Edward and I a chance to spend some quality time together. On those evenings we quite often had date nights, but other times we would curl up on the sofa with a blanket over us watching a movie and making out like teenagers.

"That's it, Bella, we're almost there," Dr. Howe said with a smile. "You're almost at 10 centimeters. When I tell you to push, I want you to bear down hard, okay?"

Edward helped me to sit up slightly, placing his one arm around my shoulders to support me. "Just remember your breathing, just like in Lamaze class," he instructed giving me a demonstration on how to pant. He really looked quite comical, and if it wasn't for the pain, I would have laughed. He was really getting into the whole birth, and every so often he'd move further down the bed and lift the sheet that was draped across my lower half to save my modesty, taking a good look at what was happening between my legs. "It won't be long now," he whispered trying to sooth me. "Josh is in the waiting room with everyone else. He's so excited to meet his new brother or sister." He mopped my brow once more as I thought of my little man sitting and waiting expectantly.

Josh was tall for his age just like Edward. He loved his father so much and I would often find them napping together after a hard day at school and work, or they'd just be sitting together watching a movie. They even go outside and dig for worms together, which must be a boy thing because there's nothing they seem to enjoy more than digging in the mud and getting filthy. Josh likes to have a bucketful of worms to use as bait for when he goes fishing out on the lake with Carlisle. That's grandpa and Josh time, and nothing interferes with that. Sometimes when he's not working, my dad drives across to join them out on the lake while Esme, Sue and I sit by the bank with a steaming hot flask of coffee just watching the boys while they attempt to catch supper as we put the world to rights.

Dad and Sue got married almost two years ago now. They still live in the rickety old house that I grew up in back in Forks. It's a relief to know that he's found someone to spend the rest of his life with because I used to worry that he was lonely; but not anymore, as he's constantly surrounded by the love of Sue and all of her family. They're good people and welcomed Edward, Josh and myself into their family with open arms.

"Okay, Bella, now push! Push!" I bore down hard as another contraction hit. Edward held my hand but was still supporting my shoulders with the other.

"You can do this, Bella," he said excitedly as my face screwed up to mirror that of a bull dog. He kissed my brow encouragingly.

"Okay, you're doing a great job," Dr. Howe said as she tinkered with a few instruments. I threw my head back moaning in exhaustion and pain. "Another push, Bella, come on, you can do it!" she said as I bore down again. "That's it, I can see the head."

Edward scurried downwards to take a good look, his eyes catching mine as he looked up were welled with tears of wonderment. "Amazing," I heard him whisper to himself.

"Listen to me now, Bella," Dr. Howe exclaimed as Edward took his position beside me, once again taking my hand in support. "The baby is almost crowning, so one more push and then I want you to stop and pant just like you've been shown, okay?"

I nodded my head in understanding as the next contraction hit hard. I screamed with the pain, but somehow managed to do as I was told.

"Okay, pant, Bella," Dr. Howe encouraged. I blew out my breaths and Edward helped me along by doing the same, pursing his lips and blowing out quick puffs of air. I felt a sharp sting as I tore slightly. "The head's out," the doctor smiled. I put my hand down between my legs and felt the baby's head as tears welled up in my eyes. Edward had a tear running down his face, but his beaming smile told me everything I needed to know, "Just one more and your baby will be here."

I could see the nurses scurrying around in the background getting ready to prepare for my new little bundle. "Here we go, Bella. Remember your breathing," The next thing I knew was a feeling of relief as I heard a deep cry, and my baby being placed on my stomach.

"It's another boy," Edward cried, tears running down his face, his smile stretched from ear to ear as he touched our new son's cheek and kissed my lips.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Daddy?" Dr. Howe asked as a nurse brought me some ice chips to relieve my dry mouth.

Edward nodded, unable to find any words as emotionally he took the scissors and did his job. A nurse picked up our boy and whisked him over to the cot to be checked over whilst Dr Howe stitched and cleaned me up down below.

"You did it, Bella," Edward hugged me close as tears poured down both our faces.

"We did it, Edward, I couldn't have done it without you...I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it."

"Shh..." he soothed, "I know, I love you." He kissed me and helped me to sit up straight.

"I love you too," I stroked the happy tears away from his face with a smile.

"Who's going to be the first to hold him?" the nurse, Adele, asked smiling down at our new little man.

Edward and I looked at one another. "His father," I grinned. I had spent the last nine months bonding with him inside of me, plus I had held him on my stomach when he was born. Edward took him in his arms and rocked him soothingly. He was wrapped so tightly in his little blue blanket that he looked like a burrito with a face. "Is he okay?"

"He's perfectly fine and healthy," Adele answered looking down at the joy on Edward's face. "He weighs 7 lb. 3 oz. and is 22 inches long, so it looks like he might be a tall one."

"Just like his daddy," I laughed. Edward grinned as he loosened the blanket.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking to see what color hair he has now he's been cleaned up," Edward answered.

I peeped over as he peeled the blanket away from the baby's head. There wasn't a great deal of hair, but it was noticeably darker than Josh's. "He has your coloring," Edward grinned. "In fact, it's too early to say, but I think he looks like you as well.

"Do you think so?" I asked excitedly. Josh had looked like me as a baby, but now that he was older, he was like a miniature version of Edward.

"Definitely, he looks like you and has your coloring, but he does get one thing from me," he winked as he peeped under the blanket wiggling his eyebrows.

"Trust you, you're such a man," I laughed as he handed the baby over for me to hold.

"Hey, at least he'll have no worries about going in the showers after gym."

"Shut up, Edward," I joked as he kissed the baby's head. "Where's mine? I want a kiss."

"I was getting to you," he murmured as he placed his lips on mine and pulled me close. He took a seat on the bed beside me. It was just the three of us spending a moment alone before the chaos that was our family arrived.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" I fussed as his tiny little hand wrapped around my finger.

"Just like his mommy," Edward said stroking his tiny feet. "Shall I go and get Josh?"

"Yeah," I whispered as my new tiny man started wriggling in my arms.

"What about the others?" he chuckled. "There's a waiting room full of them."

I rolled my eyes, "Just Josh and the parents to start. Then the others can come in after, if that's okay?"

"No problem," he kissed us both once more and made sure the blanket was covering my modesty before leaving to fetch the family.

"Oh, my word, he's beautiful," Esme cried real tears. "Can I hold him?" she asked after giving me a hug. I reluctantly handed over our new addition as my father, Sue, and Carlisle all hugged me with tears in their eyes.

"You did great, Bells," my father said kissing my forehead before shaking Edward's hand. "Another little fishing buddy."

Carlisle's face lit up at the prospect as he handed out the cigars. "You don't even smoke," I said as I looked at all the men proudly strutting like peacocks. Anyone would have thought that it was them that had just given birth.

"It's a family tradition." Carlisle said proudly, "Don't worry, Bella, we're not going to smoke them in here," he winked.

I shook my head and just decided to leave them to get on with it as they all shook hands and clapped one another on the back.

"Is that my new little sister?" Josh asked as Edward lifted him on the bed to sit beside me.

"No, that's your new little brother, he's a boy just like you." I whispered into his hair as he snuggled closer. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Yeah," Josh said excitedly. He really wanted a sister, so that he could chase her with his bucket full of worms and I secretly was praying thanks that the baby was a boy.

"He's tiny," Josh said in wonderment as Esme placed the baby in his arms.

"He is," I nodded as I helped him hold his brother.

"When can he come fishing with us?" he asked in all seriousness. Everyone smiled as Esme clicked away with her camera.

"Not for a while yet, bud," my dad told him ruffling Josh's hair. "He needs to grow a bit first, just like you had to."

Josh nodded in understanding. "Can he do anything?"

"Not yet, but it won't be long before he can." I kissed his head.

"It's your job to help us show him how to do things," Edward said coming to sit beside his two sons. "When he gets older, he'll follow you around and look up to you because you're his big brother. Sometimes it might annoy you and other times you'll find it funny, but that's all part of having a brother. Do you think you can handle that?"

Josh twisted his face in thought as he looked down at the little brother in his arms, "I can handle that!" he eventually said with a smile. "Can I teach him to dig for worms?" Edward and I both looked at one another amused.

"Yeah, but not for a few years," Edward gave Josh's knee a little squeeze.

"Who else is here?" I asked suddenly remembering that Edward said there were others in the waiting room.

"Who isn't here?" Carlisle chuckled.

"Everyone!" Edward confirmed, "Shall I go and fetch them?"

I smiled and nodded, it was so nice to think that our family and friends cared enough to spend hours sitting in a boring room with nothing to do but eagerly wait for news.

I heard her before I saw her. "Oh my god, another boy," Alice squealed excitedly as she ran into the room bouncing on her heals, along with Jasper, her husband of two years, who was carrying their eight month old daughter, Summer. Alice had left her job to spread her wings so to speak. She had opened her own shop with Jasper's financial help, selling her own designs which had become really popular. Within the space of three years, she had launched two shops with seven full-time employees. She threw her arms around Josh and the baby giving them big hugs and kisses before doing the same to myself and Edward. I didn't have time to respond as the room filled with people.

Angela and Ben arrived with their three year old son, Adam, closely followed by Emmett who was wearing a huge grin and carrying a teddy bear almost as big as himself. Rose sauntered in directly behind him, rolling her eyes at just how ridiculous Emmett looked. They had been engaged to be married for the past three years. Emmett proposed not long after Edward and I got married, but they were in no rush. They lived together in a penthouse apartment not far from Cullen International. Rose had expanded the garage and was doing well for herself, and life was treating them really good.

The only person who was missing was Jake. We saw one another as often as possible and spoke to each other regularly, either on the phone or through Skype. Angela assured me that she'd spoken to him to let him know that I had gone into labor, and as soon as I had a moment to myself, I'd give him a ring and fill him in on the good news.

"So come on then, tell us, does my nephew have a name?" Emmett boomed making the baby jump. He'd been passed from pillar to post and was starting to get hungry and restless. I took him in my arms as Edward and Josh snuggled on the bed beside me.

"He does," Edward beamed as proud as punch. "Shall we tell them?" He teased, as the room went silent expectantly.

I turned the baby so that he was facing the room, "Everyone, we'd like to introduce you to EJ...Edward, Junior or Edward Carlisle Cullen as he'll be formally known."

"You named my grandson after me?" Carlisle looked shocked, but his eyes brimmed with happy tears.

"Of course," Edward said clapping his hand onto his father's shoulder. "Josh carries Charlie's name, so it was only fitting that EJ carries yours."

"I don't know what to say, other than thank you," Carlisle gulped away the frog in his throat as he hugged Edward and then myself.

"You don't need to say a word," I told him as he released me wiping away the tear in his eye.

The room was getting very hot, sixteen people crammed into one small room wasn't really a well- thought-out idea, and Nurse Adele obviously was thinking along the same lines as she walked back into the room and gasped. "I think we need to give mom and baby some room, people," she called with her hands on her hips. "It's supposed to be no more than four visitors per room, not four times that amount!" She was trying to be stern, but her smirk gave her away as everyone grumbled their goodbyes. She ushered them out, leaving me alone with the three most important men in my life.

I settled back onto the bed with Edward to my left, Josh to my right, and EJ was laid in my arms busily taking his feeding. I couldn't imagine a more perfect scene as my little family snuggled into me. "Are you okay?" Edward asked as he placed his arms around me playing with EJ's blanket with his fingers.

I smiled down at him and bent to kiss his lips, "I've never been better." This was my life and I wouldn't change a single thing.

**A/N**

**There you go folks; I hope that tied up any loose ends for you all. I'll be a little sad to say goodbye to MOI but as the saying goes onwards and upwards, hopefully soon I'll have something new to share with you all.**

**If any of you would like to convert MOI into PDF, Mobi etc please feel free. I know some people don't like their work being shared around but I personally would take it as a huge compliment. If you do this all I ask is that you leave me a few words to tell me that you've done it. **

**Thanks again for sticking with this story; I hope you and your families have a very merry Christmas (for those of you that celebrate) and love, health and happiness for 2013**.


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